EverythingALS.org has secured a $400,000 grant from ALS Finding a Cure and The ALS Association to advance the development of NeuroLens, a digital diagnostics initiative for early detection of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

The patient-led initiative, in collaboration with the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), seeks to identify early digital diagnostic markers of ALS through comprehensive remote monitoring of pre-symptomatic gene carriers and their blood relatives.

This programme will employ sensors and videos to track functional changes, contributing to the development of early diagnostic indicators.

The collected data will help in the identification of early diagnostic markers of ALS, with the involvement of AI engineers, researchers, and neurologists to foster innovation.

This grant supports a two-year initiative that leverages open innovation and multidisciplinary research teams to transform ALS diagnosis and intervention.

MGH DIALS and PREVENT ALS director Dr. Mark Garret said: "A key barrier in early diagnosis for ALS is that at-risk individuals may be located far from specialised academic neurology centres and traveling for regular in-person examinations may be burdensome.

"Remote monitoring using digital sensors offers a solution to identify individuals around the world with early signs of ALS who could then be referred for evaluation by an ALS specialist.

"This work will have a very real impact and accelerate the research being conducted by our team at MGH and others.”

ALS, a terminal neurological disease, currently takes 12 to 18 months on average for diagnosis, and this initiative aims to change that.