We’re pleased to announce our participation in the Accelerating Leading-edge Science in ALS (ALS²) program (NOT-RM-20-019). ALS² is a $25 million NIH Common Fund initiative to spur innovative research into the basic biology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) through the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award. NIGMS encourages our community of basic scientists working on relevant processes to consider applying for this opportunity.

ALS is a devastating disease with no known cure. The development of effective therapeutics can benefit tremendously from basic ALS research that 1.) tests highly novel concepts, 2.) brings together researchers from different scientific perspectives, and 3.) applies powerful emerging technologies from a variety of disciplines.

Applications that use one or more of the following approaches are encouraged:

• Adapting emerging tools and technologies from neuroscience, cell biology, and other disciplines to identify what causes ALS and how the disease progresses, leading to new therapeutic strategies
• Attracting new talent from a range of scientific disciplines, including cell biology, bioengineering, chemistry, biophysics, environmental health sciences, and computational science
• Exploring potential similarities between ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders, including frontotemporal dementia, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Kennedy’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy, and primary lateral sclerosis

Applications must be submitted through the Transformative Research Award mechanism (RFA-RM-20-13), which is particularly well suited to interdisciplinary teams of scientists looking to combine their expertise and pursue new ideas with the potential to transform ALS research.

Application receipt date: September 30, 2020
Earliest start date: September 2021

We encourage you to share this information widely. If you have questions about this funding opportunity and your research is in an area relevant to the NIGMS mission, please contact me.