ALS Therapy Development Foundation
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| Abbreviation | ALS TDI |
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| Founded | 1999 |
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| Type | non-profit biotech |
| 04-3462719 | |
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| Affiliations | International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations |
| Website | als.net |
The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is a non-profit biotechnology research organization focused on finding treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With a staff including more than 30 scientists, it operates a research and development program centered on ALS.
ALS TDI was founded as the ALS Therapy Development Foundation (ALS TDF) in 1999 by James Heywood, Robert Bonazoli, and Melinda Marsh Heywood after James' brother, Stephen Heywood, was diagnosed with the disease. The organization was initially funded through a donation from Stephen, as well as one from Alex and Brit d'Arbeloff. The Foundation's first therapy concept was to replace EAAT2 protein using gene therapy.
In 2004, the Foundation moved to a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) location in Cambridge, Massachusetts with an in-house lab. ALS TDF constructed a biosafety level 2 lab in 2005, allowing for the expansion of "gene therapy and cell-based treatment pipelines."
In 2005, the Foundation started the Tri-State Trek, an annual 270-mile bike ride from Boston, Massachusetts to Greenwich, Connecticut. The Trek has since grown to include over 400 participants and has raised more than $7 million for research.
In 2006 the ALS patient Augie Nieto became chairman of the board. The next year, James Heywood resigned as president but joined the board and Sean F. Scott, who ALS runs in his family, replaced him. Scott worked with Augie Nieto as well as with the Muscular Dystrophy Association to bring together the two organizations in 2007. The collaboration allowed for MDA to match ALS TDI's annual budget for three years through Nieto's initiative, Augie's Quest, though the partnership continued after that, with MDA cumulatively providing over $36 million. The same year, the organization replaced the "Foundation" part of its name with "Institute".
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