Turning Connection Into Action
Funding partnerships that accelerate trials, expand access, and connect patients to life-changing care.
The ALS Bridge Foundation Investment Strategy
OUR SUPPORT STRATEGY:
FACT: ALS research is at a tipping point and in dire need of charitable support. ALS is challenged for funding due to general awareness, despite the fact that 500,000 families are living with this fatal disease. Funding needs to come from the charitable sector because ALS does not attract biomedical investment due to the complexity and challenges of the condition.
FACT: There is promising research that lacks the funding and infrastructure to make it to human trials which is a critical part of bringing treatments to market. Solutions are not leaving the laboratory or are doing so at a painfully slow pace.
FACT: It takes on average more than a year to receive a definitive diagnosis of ALS. Patients living with ALS lose valuable time in treating the disease in order to slow the progression. Treatment is trial and error as all cases represent a unique subtype of the disease thus requiring a different treatment plan. Patients lack a road map to navigate the available and appropriate treatments and drug trials.
FACT: Significant funding is needed for research, treatment and patient care within the ALS ecosystem.
The Bridge Foundation Focus and Priorities:
The Bridge Foundation will focus on supporting early phase drug trials and affordable access for the patient community. This serves as a BRIDGE for the research community and patients and potential drug trial participants.
With this as our focus The Bridge Foundation has identified two primary partners who share this focus on expanding and improving the early-phase trial platforms. This includes:
Healey ALS MyMatch Program: designed to expand the access of trials for drug research and patient communities. ALS MyMatch will use AI to provide precision solutions which match treatment and patient specifics.
Access ALS Montreal Neurological Institute (McGill): this program is a Canadian based program designed to expand the number of centers of excellence which will provide more access for diagnostics and access to Phase 1 drug trials. While in Canada this would not mean it is exclusive to Canadian citizens. Canada presents some unique regulatory advantages which will allow the early phase trials to be accelerated which benefits the entire community and is in harmony with the focus of the MyMatch program.
The operating principle of the foundation will be to follow the field and will hold a reserve for promising opportunities which may or may not coincide with the Healey ALS MyMatch Program or Access ALS initiatives. All investments will be subject to annual review by the foundation board and the Medical Advisory Council.
The ALS community is without borders however there is an opportunity to designate donations to the General Fund, US only, or Canada only. The estimated allocation with current partners is:
Healey ALS MyMatch Program: 60%
ALS Access: 30%
Program Reserve: 10%
Transparency.
Integrity.
Impact.
Transparency. Integrity. Impact.
100% of proceeds directly support ALS research and patient access initiatives.
EXPERT INSIGHT
Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, MD, MSC
Neurologist | Clinical Researcher
Executive Director, Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute
Director, Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS Director
Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School
Dr. Angela Genge, MD, FRCP
Professor of Neurology, McGill University
Chief Medical Officer, ALS Global Centre of Excellence
Head of ALS Research & Patient Care, McGill
Healey ALS MyMatch PROGRAM
A groundbreaking initiative transforming how ALS treatments are developed.
The Healey ALS MyMatch Program: is the first multi-site, biomarker-driven early-phase program designed to match experimental therapies to specific ALS subgroups. By understanding how ALS differs from person to person — genetically, biologically, and by disease stage — researchers can identify the right therapy at the right time.
What Makes It Different:
-AI-driven therapy matching
-Personalized trial participation
-Quantitative biomarker analysis
-Virtual control cohorts for faster results
ACCESS AlS
A national platform accelerating early access to ALS therapies across Canada.
Access ALS is an early-phase clinical trial network designed to bring promising ALS treatments to patients as quickly and equitably as possible. Led by Dr. Angela Genge, the program expands Canada’s ability to test new therapies in their earliest stages while collecting the critical data needed to determine whether a drug is working — and for whom.
By building a coordinated, multi-site trial infrastructure, Access ALS removes geographic barriers and gives patients across Canada timely access to innovative therapies that might otherwise take years to reach them.
What Makes It Different:
Early-phase access to experimental therapies
National, multi-site clinical trial network
Faster data collection to evaluate drug effectiveness
Expanded access pathways for patients not eligible for traditional trials
Focus: Accelerating early drug development and patient access across Canada.
Our Commitment
The ALS Bridge Foundation directs the majority of funds to programs with measurable, transformative impact. Every initiative we support shares a common goal — faster access, smarter research, and real hope for people living with ALS.
Our strategy focuses on four core areas:
1. Accelerating Early-Phase Drug Trials
We invest in programs that push the most promising therapies into human trials sooner — where progress truly happens.
2. Expanding Access to Treatment
We help ensure patients can reach innovative therapies, clinical trials, and expert care—regardless of geography or financial barriers.
3. Strengthening Collaboration Between U.S. and Canadian Researchers
By building global bridges between leading clinicians and scientists, we accelerate discoveries across borders.
4. Driving Awareness & Education
ALS remains drastically underfunded. Awareness empowers families and fuels the philanthropy needed to drive progress.
Each Healey ALS MyMatch Trial costs approximately $2 million to design and execute.
Philanthropy enables the Healey Center to test multiple therapies simultaneously — dramatically shortening the timeline from discovery to patient access.
The cumulative data from these trials will pinpoint the most effective treatments for the many forms of ALS…
saving time, accelerating hope, and changing lives.
Every trial begins with a gift
Why Your Support Matters
ALS moves fast — and so must we.
Funding from The ALS Bridge Foundation accelerates:
Moving treatments from lab to trial
Bringing therapies to patients earlier
Building global collaborations between researchers
Expanding equitable access across North America
Together, we are creating the bridge between compassion and cure.
Together, we’re creating the connection between compassion and cure
You, your family, and your friends can make a real impact by supporting the programs that bring hope to those living with ALS.