ALS Biorepositories have expanded the opportunities for scientific investigation to ALS researchers worldwide. Many types of Biorepositories and related efforts exist to support research and to aid in therapeutic development. The NEALS Biorepository is housed at the Healey Center for ALS at Mass General Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute and overseen by the NEALS Biorepository Committee. Samples and data are shared broadly to facilitate ALS research. The repository is partially funded by The ALS Association. Answer ALS is an open-sourced observational study and data analytics pipeline with biofluids, iPSC and clinical data form over 1000 participants. A web-based portal streamlines data access and sample requests to allow broad use and collaboration from the scientific community. The C9 Natural History Study was a forward-thinking study aimed at characterizing the clinical course of people with C9 ALS to prepare for C9 ALS Trials and create a collection of biofluids and data specifically focused on C9-ALS. The Target ALS Postmortem Core encompasses six centers and sends precious postmortem tissue to scores of ALS investigators each year. And the Healey ALS Platform Trial is revolutionizing the way ALS trials are conducted by bringing new efficiencies and more opportunity to ALS trials. This can cut years and millions of dollars off drug development. It will also create a repository of biofluids that will act as an engine driving biomarker development and new ALS trial design in the future.
We invite you to join us for this webinar and learn more about how Biorepositories can aid in your research efforts. The one-hour webinar will provide an introduction to the NEALS Biorepository and detail how to request samples, the sample application review process, an overview of the MTA process, and demonstrate how the Biorepository has facilitated sample collection and storage during a number of NEALS-affiliated clinical trials.
