Our Approach

We’re not waiting for change, we’re making it. We’ve replaced the traditional research model with a much faster, fairer, and more impactful approach that’s removing barriers to discover effective treatments.

We’re ensuring that every breakthrough can move us closer to effective treatments. Our Innovation Ecosystem disrupts barriers to ALS research by empowering radical collaboration, providing open access to resources, and fostering partnerships between academia and industry.

A unique approach to research

With our one-of-a-kind approach to research, we’re moving at a pace that traditional research models struggle to match.

For years, a web of barriers stood in the way of meaningful ALS advancements—making it nearly impossible to move research forward and provide those facing ALS real hope for a better future.

ALS research has long been slowed by systemic barriers:

Gaps in funding
A lack of resources for science to advance
Bias in funding decisions
Siloed and independent research operations
Limited industry investment in research
Intellectual property restrictions

We built the Innovation Ecosystem to remove every one of those barriers.

At Target ALS, we’re breaking down the barriers that have historically slowed scientific progress so that we can find effective treatments faster. We bring together diverse expertise, tools, and resources to drive discovery and advance science.

“This is a devastating disease, and there’s been little hope for those diagnosed, including my father and uncle. Thanks to promising research of the past few years, we now have the opportunity to radically change the progression of the disease and improve people’s lives.”

Dan Doctoroff

Founder of Target ALS

How our model works

Our Innovation Ecosystem is powered by six reinforcing strategies that aim to take research from the lab into the lives of people facing ALS. We create this change by:

Funding collaborative projects

We exclusively fund multi-investigator research projects that pursue novel approaches for ALS drug discovery and development.

Providing open access to tools and data

We provide researchers with critical tools—from biospecimens to genomic datasets to stem cells—with no strings attached.

Fostering partnerships between academia and industry

We offer access to funding and resources to promote collaborative projects across academia and industry and to accelerate drug discovery.

Supporting unbiased grant-making

All of our funding decisions are reviewed and ultimately decided by a conflict-free Independent Review Committee.

Removing intellectual property barriers

We do not place any intellectual property restrictions on data generated by our funded research projects or scientific resources.

Building a worldwide network of experts

We encourage networking and communication between scientists in academia and the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, among other stakeholders.

Innovation in action

The Innovation Ecosystem is disrupting the status quo to propel research like never before. Over the last ten years, our approach has dramatically acc

32k+

biofluid samples collected

750+

research grants funded

12+

clinical trials emerging from funded projects

The values that guide us

We anchor our research approach by three core values:

Impatient optimism

We operate with impatient optimism. We know that with an ALS diagnosis, time is everything. People who are diagnosed with ALS often have only 2-5 years to live. This timeline fuels the urgency behind our steadfast and hopeful pursuit of breakthroughs that will change lives sooner than later.

Deliberate disruption

We create deliberate disruption. Our efforts challenge the status quo at every level by uniting collaborators, removing restrictions, and offering the global research community one-of-a-kind resources at little to no cost—no other ALS nonprofit does this.

Radical Collaboration

We collaborate in radical ways. Transparency, inclusivity, and shared learning are at the heart of everything we do. We bring together diverse voices—researchers, clinicians, industry leaders, and ALS advocates—to foster unconventional partnerships that deliver meaningful results.

Changing the research landscape

With the Innovation Ecosystem, we’re creating a new infrastructure for research—one that allows us to do more to fund breakthroughs, enable discovery, and conduct studies ourselves.