Chipping Away at ALS
Ice Bucket Challenge 10th Anniversary
In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge was a social media sensation. It raised incredible awareness about ALS and funding for organizations like ours that are dedicated to creating a world free of this terrible disease.
There is no cure for ALS yet. But tremendous progress is being made for people living with ALS, their families and caregivers. If you or someone you know participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge, you made an impact, and we want you to know about it.
The Les Turner ALS Foundation has directly funded over $33 million dollars in ALS research and clinical care to advance vital care in pursuit of life-enhancing treatments and a cure.
Today, thanks to funding we've received, the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern Medicine and its Lois Insolia ALS Clinic is recognized as one of the nation’s best multidisciplinary centers for people with ALS. We offer world-class care and access to clinical trials to people with ALS. Our center also brings hope through ongoing scientific research to find a cure.
One of the greatest challenges in combatting ALS is that the causes of the disease remain little understood. One of the first answers came when the first genetic mutation linked to cause ALS, SOD-1, was co-discovered at the Les Turner ALS Center. That led to the first-ever treatment for a genetic form of ALS, Qalsody, which was approved by the FDA in 2023. And that drug was studied and tested at our clinic, thanks to the donors who made it possible for us to hold groundbreaking clinical trials that continue today.
Researchers at our Les Turner ALS Center have since uncovered even more answers about genes linked to ALS, paving the way for future treatment breakthroughs.
If you or someone you know participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge ten years ago, you helped make advances like these possible. But everyone, everywhere, can help take the next step today.
Please make a donation or register to attend an event like our Les Turner ALS Walk for Life, and post about it on social media to let your friends and family know you're part of the effort to chip away at ALS every day.
