Research We Fund
Your generous support enables us to fund research every year in locations across the globe. We fund projects across the research pipeline, from basic research through clinical trials, and our support has led to several potential treatments currently in clinical trials.
Last updated January 5, 2026.
Our Approach
To date, ALS Northwest has invested nearly $3 million to ALS research, and each year, our Board of Directors and leadership team carefully evaluate opportunities to ensure our funding supports the most promising and impactful work.
We prioritize funding the most promising research endeavors and actively cultivate innovative partnerships spanning government, industry, academia, and other nonprofit organizations. Additionally, we invest in emerging talent, nurturing young scientists to drive innovation.
In 2025, we partnered with the ALS Network, along with 10 other ALS United member organizations, to launch an initiative that directly funds cutting-edge research.
$2,900,000
ALS Research Funded Since 2002
Annual ALS Research Symposium
Every year, typically in October, we host a Research Symposium featuring discussion about the latest in ALS research. The event features live presentations from local and nationally esteemed ALS researchers and clinicians. Save the date for the 2026 event.
Research Initiatives
Recent Collaborative Highlights
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ALS Northwest helped shape ALS United’s new research strategy and is partnering with the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins to leverage world-class expertise.
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ALS Northwest is proud to amplify innovative research happening across the field. One exciting project—supported by ALS United and partners—is a $300,000 collaborative study at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Researchers from LLNL, Stanford, and UCLA are analyzing electronic health records to identify medications that may slow ALS and Parkinson’s progression. Early findings show promising drug associations in veterans with ALS.
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ALS Northwest supports the Accelerating Medicines Partnership for ALS (AMP ALS)—a multi-sector initiative fast-tracking therapies and biomarkers through a large-scale ALS data resource. AMP ALS is a component of the ACT for ALS legislation signed into law in 2021. Multiple clinical sites nationwide have joined the NIH-funded Access for All in ALS (ALL ALS) Consortium, which recruits people with ALS and those at risk to contribute clinical data and bio samples.
Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
The Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship for ALS Research awards are designed to encourage and facilitate young scientists to enter the field of ALS Research. Our organization has funded 5 fellows who work with a senior mentor and receive extensive exposure to the ALS research community. More than 90% of the fellows remain in ALS research and contribute significantly to advances made in the field.
Fellows include:
- Nishal Shah PhD, Stanford University, California – Research on Intracortical Brain Computer Interface Technology
- Lauren Gittings PhD, Barrow Institute, Phoenix, Arizona – Understanding the Pathology of C9orf72 Gene and ALS/FTD.
- Sarah Ackerman PhD, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR - Contributions of astrocyte function and dysfunction to ALS
Individual Research Projects
- Joe Beckman PhD, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR - Preclinical investigation of CuATSM in mice and dogs as a precursor for ALS therapy development
- Nick Olney MD, Providence ALS Center, Portland, OR – ALS Natural History Pilot Project
- Yaowaree Leavell MD, Department of Neurology, Portland Veterans Affairs Hospital, Oregon - Understanding patient and care-partner experiences of primary and specialist palliative care: a qualitative needs assessment at a Veteran’s Affairs ALS Center
- Jeffrey Rothstein MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland - ASO mediated knockdown of CHMP7 as a novel therapeutic strategy for ALS/FTD
- Daniel Fowler MD, Rapa Therapeutics, Rockville, Maryland - RAPA-501 Hybrid TREG/TH2 Cell therapy in ALS
ALS Research Resources
National ALS Registry
The National ALS Registry may be the single largest ALS research project ever created and is designed to identify ALS cases from throughout the entire United States.
The Registry is collecting critical information about the disease that will improve care for people with ALS and help us learn what causes the disease, how it can be treated and even prevented. When you join the National ALS Registry, you provide crucial data that drives us closer to understanding and treating ALS.
Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS)
NEALS' mission is to rapidly translate scientific advances into clinical research and new treatments for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and motor neuron disease.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
NINDS offers information on news, upcoming events, current ALS specific funding opportunities, featured initiatives and programs, and ALS research resources.
The Latest in ALS Research
ALS Northwest ends 2025 with Significant Research Investment
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 30, 2025 – ALS Northwest increased its financial investment in ALS research throughout 2025, accelerating new approaches in ALS treatment, prevention, and understanding. These efforts include an initiative…
