International advisory board brings together leading ALS researchers, clinicians, and nonprofit leaders to help guide ALS research through the Allen Institute’s Brain Health Accelerator
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EverythingALS and Vision 2030 have announced the expansion of the Vision 2030 Scientific Advisory Board, bringing together a distinguished international group of ALS researchers, clinicians, and nonprofit leaders to help guide and support an ALS focused research collaboration with the Allen Institute’s Brain Health Accelerator.
The expanded Scientific Advisory Board will strengthen coordination across the ALS research community and provide scientific insight for work connected to the Allen Institute’s Brain Health Accelerator, which recently launched an ALS focused initiative aimed at using advanced human neuroscience tools to better understand disease progression and identify potential drug targets.
“The Allen Institute’s ALS Workshop in March 2026 brought many of us together around a shared goal: identifying the barriers slowing ALS research and finding new ways to accelerate progress,” said Indu Navar, founder and CEO of EverythingALS. “That momentum has now grown into a formal collaboration with the Allen Institute’s Brain Health Accelerator to deepen our understanding of ALS disease progression and help identify potential drug targets. We are grateful to see members of the ALS nonprofit community come together in support of this effort, and we’re honored to welcome a distinguished international Scientific Advisory Board whose expertise will help guide and strengthen this research.”
New members who will be joining the expanded Scientific Advisory Board alongside existing members Merit Cudkowicz, MD, MSc, Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute and Harvard Medical School and Ernest Fraenkel, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology include:
Lyle W. Ostrow, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University; Director, Temple University Neuromuscular Pathology Lab and ALS Postmortem Research Core
James Berry, MD, MPH, Director, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic, and Chief, MGB Division of Motor Neuron Diseases, Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute and Harvard Medical School
Robert Bowser, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Chair, Department of Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute
Fernando Vieira, MD, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer, ALS Therapy Development Institute
Clive Svendsen, PhD, Executive Director, Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, and Kerry and Simone Vickar Family Foundation Distinguished Chair in Regenerative Medicine, Cedars-Sinai
Eduardo Locatelli, MD, MPH, Professor, Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, David and Cathy Husman Endowed Chair for Neuroscience, Co-Director, NSU Health Cathy J. Husman ALS Center, Nova Southeastern University
Sarah Dougherty, PhD, Senior Director of Research at ALS Network
Terry Heiman-Patterson, MD, Professor of Neurology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and Director of the Temple MDA/ALS Center of Hope, Founder and President of the ALS Hope Foundation
Ammar Al-Chalabi, PhD, FRCP, FMedSci, Professor of Neurology and Complex Disease Genetics at King’s College London and Director of the King’s Motor Neuron Disease Care and Research Centre
Walter J. Koroshetz, MD, Former Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, Professor of Neurology and the Donna M. and Robert J. Manning Chair in Neurosciences at UMass Chan Medical School
Penny Dacks, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD), and President, FTD Disorders Registry
C Dirk Keene, MD, PhD, Florence Riford Alzheimer’s Disease Research Endowed Chair Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego
By bringing together leaders from academic medicine, translational research, nonprofit organizations, and international programs, EverythingALS and Vision 2030 aim to help accelerate the exchange of knowledge and strengthen the pathway from discovery to real progress.
“ALS research is at a pivotal moment where no single institution, organization, or dataset can solve this disease alone,” said Sarah Dougherty, PhD, Senior Director of Research at ALS Network. “The Vision 2030 Scientific Advisory Board reflects a growing recognition that meaningful progress will come from connecting expertise, technology, data, and the ALS community in new ways. By working across traditional boundaries, we have an opportunity to accelerate discovery, identify promising therapeutic targets, and bring effective treatments to people living with ALS faster.”
“Collaborating with the Allen Institute and their amazing resources for studying the brain and spinal cord at the single-cell level will accelerate our understanding of ALS and help develop novel therapeutics,” said Clive Svendsen, PhD, Cedars-Sinai.
“ALS research is at an inflection point, where advances in neuroscience, data science and collaboration can accelerate progress toward a better understanding of the disease process,” said Terry Heiman-Patterson, MD, Professor of Neurology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and Director of the Temple MDA/ALS Center of Hope. “By sharing views from different perspectives and expertise, this Scientific Advisory Board can help keep the conversation focused and patient centered.”
“ALS research and approaches to definitive ALS therapies are at a critical point of acceleration, with more new concepts and practical innovative therapies in the pipeline than ever before,” said Bob Brown, DPhil, MD, Professor of Neurology and Director of Neurotherapeutics at UMass Chan Medical School. “One anticipates that many successful transdisciplinary advances, including AI-based analyses meshing large clinical datasets with molecular biology and innovative therapies, will emerge from this Scientific Advisory Board.”
Walter J. Koroshetz, MD, Former Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said, “The tragedy of ALS drives all of us at Vision 2030 to work on ALS time. We can't rush the science but we can certainly nurture the field so that no opportunities are missed.”
EverythingALS and Vision 2030 are continuing efforts to support the Allen Institute’s ALS-focused research through community engagement, philanthropic support and collaboration across the ALS nonprofit and research communities. Together, the expanded Scientific Advisory Board and broader research collaboration are designed to turn scientific insight, community participation and philanthropic support into faster progress for ALS research.
About EverythingALS
EverythingALS is dedicated to advancing ALS research, fostering innovation and offering support for individuals and families affected by ALS. A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization operating under the Peter Cohen Foundation, EverythingALS has built a global ALS community network from over 60 countries. http://www.everythingals.org
About Vision 2030
Vision 2030 is the result of the merger between EverythingALS and Cure ALS, two foundations united by a common purpose. The mission of Vision 2030 is to accelerate the development of a cure for ALS by connecting researchers with the data, technology and partnerships needed to halt disease progression and promote nerve regeneration. For more information, visit: https://v2030.org/.
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