COLLABORATION FUNDS HISTORIC
$36 MILLION ALS DRUG SEARCH

TUCSON, Ariz. Jan. 16, 2007 — The largest ALS drug discovery project in history was launched today as a joint venture by the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), through its Augie's Quest initiative, and the ALS Therapy Development Institute.

The three-year, $36 million project will attempt to identify biochemical targets and find drugs that work on them in ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease).

Lynne Nieto, with her husband and MDA ALS Division co-chair, Augie, cuts the ribbon to commemorate the new Muscular Dystrophy Association and ALS Therapy Development Institute research program. The joint-venture will attempt to identify biochemical targets and find drugs that work on them in ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease).

The collaboration will be funded by MDA's Augie's Quest, a fast-track ALS research program, and by the Institute (formerly the ALS Therapy Development Foundation). MDA, through Augie's Quest, will grant at least $6 million a year for the next three years; the Institute will add its $6 million annual budget to the project. MDA's funding for this collaboration is above and beyond its existing ALS research expenditures.

"This project represents a declaration of war on ALS, and this is a war we intend to win by building the best scientific and technologic army in the world," said Augie Nieto, co-chairman with his wife, Lynne, of MDA's ALS Division. "Amazing things can happen when you combine the drive to succeed with money and technology."

Research will take place at the Institute's 16,000-square-foot lab in Cambridge, Mass. James Heywood, who started the organization in 1999 after his brother

Stephen received an ALS diagnosis, said, "This collaboration allows for a massive application of cutting-edge technology, combined with proven drug development techniques. There's no doubt in my mind that ultimately we're going to be successful."

Jamie Heywood and Sean Scott of  the ALS Therapy Development Institute, left, were presented with a dedication plaque by MDA ALS Division co-chairs and Augie's Quest founders Augie and Lynn Nieto.  The $36 million drug discovery collaboration is the largest of its kind in ALS research history.

Stephen Heywood died in November when the ventilator that allowed him to breathe malfunctioned while he slept.

ALS is a progressive neurological disease that affects the nerves that send signals to the muscles. It causes paralysis of all voluntary muscles and ultimately death, usually within three to five years. The cause is unknown.

"The causes of ALS have been a tragic mystery for too long," said MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis, noting that Lou Gehrig's widow, Eleanor, held a voluntary leadership position with MDA for many years. "This project is a giant step toward a solution to that mystery and a cure for ALS."

Augie Nieto has been named chairman of the board for the ALS Therapy Development Institute and Steve Perrin, formerly an executive at the biotechnology company Biogen Idec, will be its chief scientific officer. Former Institute vice president of drug discovery Sean Scott will serve as its president.

About Augie's Quest

Fitness pioneer Augie Nieto started Augie's Quest (www.augiesquest.org) in conjunction with MDA's ALS Division after his ALS diagnosis in March 2005. Nieto is co-founder and former president of Life Fitness, and chairman of Octane Fitness.

About MDA

MDA (www.mda.org) is the world's largest provider of ALS services and funder of ALS research. Over the years, it has expended almost $200 million in this effort. It operates 225 neuromuscular disease clinics across the country and 37 ALS-specific research and care centers.

About the ALS Therapy Development Institute

The ALS Therapy Development Institute (www.als.net) is a nonprofit biotechnology company dedicated to translating research into potential drug treatments by testing drugs in the SOD1 mouse model of ALS. Since its inception in 1999, the Institute has become a leader in ALS transgenic mouse studies, providing a new level of understanding of ALS, as well as related disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.