ALS Finding a Cure Call for Proposals in Early Diagnostics

Shockingly, more than 150 years after the disease was first defined, there are currently no universally accepted diagnostic approaches for ALS. In order to receive an ALS diagnosis patients must first undergo a battery of tests designed to rule out other diagnoses. This is highly problematic because it can take a year for an ALS patient to receive the correct diagnosis (and sometimes even longer). While these individuals are searching for a name for their affliction, they are frequently bounced to multiple doctors, can receive unnecessary (and expensive) surgical procedures and medications, and sadly can become ineligible for ALS clinical trials. The ALS field urgently needs to close this gap!

Given this critical need in the field, ALS Finding a Cure® and the ALS Association are pleased to announce that they have joined forces to issue an open international call for proposals designed to encourage the identification of early diagnostic markers of ALS. We are particularly interested in encouraging diverse and multidisciplinary research teams to attack this problem.

Examples of approaches that might be supported by this request for proposals include, but are not limited to, the following:

a.     Digital Diagnostics (including video-based)
b.     Imaging Diagnostics
c.      Electrodiagnostics
d.     Biosample-based Diagnostics (fluid or tissue)
e.     Other diagnostic approaches (breath analysis, risk-factor analysis, cognitive/behavioral phenotyping, other modeling, etc)

Grants will support 3-year proposals with a maximum total budget of $500,000 USD total (inclusive of both direct and indirect costs).

Deadlines:

Proposals due: March 1, 2023 5pm US ET

Anticipated Award Decision: April 30, 2023

Anticipated Earliest Start Date: June 15, 2023

Submit to: https://app.box.com/f/6332c1c7e65b46969236884f37cf7535

Application Process

1. Please provide a cover letter addressed to ALS Finding a Cure and the Leandro P. Rizzuto Foundation including:

  • Proposal Title
  • Total costs (15% overhead cap)
  • Number of milestones and related costs (to equal amount above)
  • List of all investigators and institutions
  • Name and contact information for person(s) responsible for contracts
  • Address for mailing of payments

2. Provide a study plan including:

  • A brief abstract suitable for media release to the lay public if the application is successful
  • Project Plan, Background, and Timeline (max. 5 pages) including:
  • Study background and rationale/significance
  • Study objectives/specific aims
  • Supporting/preliminary data;
  • Experimental design/research plan;
  • Detailed itemized budget and budget justification
  • Description of study milestones, including the costs associated and timeline of specific deliverables
  • Any research funding from other funding sources that relates to the proposed work

3. Signed and dated investigator CVs 

4. Financial Disclosure Form: use either NIH form https://ethics.od.nih.gov/forms450 ), or institutional form. 

Please submit questions to info@alsfac.org