Longitude Prize on ALS to be launched next Spring
The multi-million-pound award will recognise experts and scientists looking to create new treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
ALS is a terminal progressive disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The illness first affects voluntary control of arms and legs and eventually leads to trouble breathing. Currently, there is no cure for ALS but there are treatments that can help manage symptoms.
On the topic of treatments, Challenge Works have announced a new prize is due to be launched in Spring 2025 with an aim to incentivise the use of AI and machine-learning approaches to transform drug discovery for the treatment of ALS.
Support for the reward has come in abundance. It is due to be primarily funded by the Motor Neurone Disease Association, with help from Nesta, Alan Davidson Foundation, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and LifeArc.
Tanya Curry, chief executive at the MND Association, said: ‘The Longitude Prize is an innovative approach which has the potential to be transformative for motor neurine disease research. We are investing as the principal funder, confident that the prize will bring exciting new technologies and create unique collaborations, to accelerate the search for effective treatments for this brutal disease.’
To give context about how ‘brutal’ this illness is, data shows that it kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis. What’s more, ALS takes the life of six people per day in the UK, which is just under 2,200 a year.
The ALS prize is the third instalment in the Longitude series. It’s annoucement comes following the success of the Longitude Prize on AMR, who announced their winner this year, and the Longitude Prize on Dementia which will unveil its winner in 2026 with five finalists still in the running.
Tris Dyson, managing director at Challenge Works who was diagnosed with ALS last year, added: ‘ALS is a highly complex disease for which there are no effective treatments. The great promise is that AI can now handle this complexity. That’s why we predict that ALS shall be the first disease to become treatable due to AI. This prize is a rallying call for AI and ALS experts everywhere.
‘We’re excited to be announcing this third modern Longitude Prize and look forward to sharing more details on the prize in the new year.’
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