The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center (ALS Center) provides comprehensive care and access to clinical research to ALS patients. Dr. Neil Shneider leads the multi-disciplinary care team, which includes a nurse practitioner, a clinic coordinator, a genetic counselor, registered dietician and social worker, as well as occupational, physical, respiratory and speech/language therapists. This team provides upwards of 400 ALS patients in the NY tri-state area with outstanding medical care and the vital support services they need to live as long and as well as possible with this disease. In addition to providing the highest level of patient care, the ALS Center offers patients the opportunity to participate in leading-edge clinical research. More than ever before, there is an urgent need to involve patients and their families in research. Information and biological samples received from patients will dramatically advance understanding of the molecular, genetic and cellular mechanisms that underlie motor neuron degeneration in ALS. This general operating support grant provides provide flexible funding for research, operations and timely opportunities at the ALS Center.

Since 1987, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has been home to The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center (ALS Center). The ALS Center team strives to provide comprehensive care, support services, and access to clinical research for ALS patients. This challenge grant supports the ALS Center in its fundraising efforts to treat more patients and do more research with its own patients while strengthening and shortening the path from research to personal treatment.

Since 1987, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has been home to The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center (ALS Center). The ALS Center team strives to provide comprehensive care, support services, and access to clinical research for ALS patients. This funding will expand the ALS Center’s capacity for cutting-edge research by recruiting a leading scientist to join the ALS Center and Motor Neuron Center. This new member of the faculty will leverage Columbia’s strengths in Precision Medicine to undertake pivotal research that utilizes genomics and bioinformatics to further understand the role of cell-to-cell interactions in the pathophysiology of ALS and related disorders of the central nervous system. This comprehensive research program will benefit the entire neurodegenerative disease research community. Columbia’s recruited scientist for this position is Hemali Phatnani, PHD, who is and will continue to also serve as the head of ALS research at fellow Tow grantee New York Genome Center.