2026 Impact Report – Letter from the CEO
June 22, 2026 Manish Raisinghani
Dear Friends,
The 2026 Target ALS Annual Meeting was a powerful reminder of what is possible when urgency, collaboration, and innovation come together in pursuit of a shared goal: a world where everyone with ALS can live a long, quality life.
For some, this meeting was a familiar gathering of colleagues and friends. For many others, it was their first experience within the unique and dynamic Target ALS innovation ecosystem. The presence of both reflects the growth and evolution of a global community united by a singular mission: to accelerate effective treatments for ALS.
This year’s meeting brought together every major constituency shaping the future of ALS research and drug development, including people living with ALS and their families, scientists and clinicians from academia and pharma/biotech, venture capital firms, and nonprofit organizations working on ALS as well as related neurodegenerative diseases. With more than 1,200 participants attending in person and online from 38 countries, representing over 212 academic institutions, 157 pharma/biotech and VC firms and over 47 non-profits, the meeting brought together a global community united by scientific rigor, openness, urgency, and a shared commitment to accelerating progress for people living with ALS.
Over the course of the meeting, two important trends emerged with even greater clarity.
The first is the continued expansion of expertise entering the ALS field. As scientific breakthroughs begin to crack open what once felt like an impenetrable barrier to ALS therapeutics, it is increasingly clear that solving this disease will require bold thinking and collaboration across scientific disciplines. Target ALS continues to intentionally bring experts from various scientific disciplines and other disease areas into the field, recognizing that new perspectives and approaches are essential to accelerating progress.
The second is the growing engagement of historically underrepresented communities worldwide. From the beginning, our global research initiatives have been built on the belief that all communities should benefit from advances in ALS research and that more inclusive, representative datasets will lead to deeper scientific understanding and new discoveries. This work is helping create a research ecosystem that is not only more innovative, but more human and globally representative.
Throughout the meeting, there was a palpable sense of both hope and urgency.
Hope because meaningful progress is happening today. New therapeutic approaches rooted in a strong understanding of biology of the disease are advancing. Biomarker discoveries are opening doors that once seemed unimaginable. Science is moving forward in tangible and exciting ways.
Urgency because we know we are not yet where we need to be.
Progress will not happen overnight, but the momentum we are seeing reinforces that we are on the right path. At Target ALS, we remain committed to breaking down barriers, forging collaboration, and creating the conditions for scientists, clinicians, and industry leaders to accelerate their work as quickly as possible.
As was said during the meeting, our only competition is with ALS.
Everything we do is grounded in the belief that urgency matters, collaboration matters, and people with ALS and their families cannot wait.
Thank you for being part of this movement and for helping drive the progress highlighted throughout this report. Together, we are building a future where effective treatments for everyone living with ALS becomes a reality.
Sincerely,
Manish Raisinghani, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Target ALS
Related News
2026 Impact Report - Letter from our Founder
June 22, 2026
