Canada joins international research partnership to find answers and better target the disease
Canada has become the 17th country to join an international research partnership that is working to determine why some people develop ALS while others do not, with numerous Canadian ALS researchers stepping up in a cross-country collaboration that is among the first of its kind in the country.
The ALS Society of Canada (ALS Canada), in partnership with provincial ALS Societies across the country, is spearheading efforts for the Canadian component of Project MinE, a multi-national initiative that gained momentum following the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Project MinE will map the full DNA profiles of 15,000 people with ALS and 7,500 control subjects, establishing a global resource of human data that will enable scientists worldwide to better target the disease by understanding the genetic signature that leads someone to develop ALS.
By accumulating such a large amount of data that no one country could achieve alone, it is expected that Project MinE could identify new genetic causes of the disease. The discoveries gained through Project MinE have the potential to significantly accelerate our ability to advance treatment possibilities that could slow down or even stop ALS. Canada's goal is to contribute up to 1,000 DNA profiles to the international effort.
Learn more about Canada's participation in Project MinE