ALS Association

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ALS Association , or ALSA for short , is a US non-profit aid organization founded in 1985 to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis .

target

The organization aims to raise funds for research and patient support, to raise awareness of the disease, and to advocate the concerns and interests of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (also known as Lou Gehrig syndrome ) at the state and federal level . The Association is divided into individual chapters according to geographical criteria in the United States, all of which are under a national umbrella organization. Each individual chapter is autonomous, with a few smaller chapters strongly affiliated to the umbrella organization. The chapters provide education, counseling and essential support for ALS patients, their families and carers, while the national organization generally supports research and awareness-raising across the board.

research

The association conducts ALS research through:

  • Financing of national and international research programs up to clinical research
  • Organizing scientific workshops to promote scientific collaboration and engage new scientists for ALS and
  • Rapid transfer of findings from clinical studies for the benefit of ALS patients.

Twice a year the society invites researchers to examine new treatment proposals. The association awards multi-year scholarships as well as an annual post-doctoral scholarship. At the given time there are about 100 research studies sponsored by the association. The ALS Association also initiates scientific studies through its own initiated research program that was launched in 2000.

The head of research has been the medical and biochemist Lucie Bruijn since 2001.

Ice Bucket Challenge

The Ice Bucket Challenge (German: Ice Bucket Challenge ) is to increase a campaign of ALSA to raise awareness of the disease. Participants are doused with a large bucket of ice and water, post a video of it on social networks and nominate someone else to do the same thing again within 24 hours and / or to make a donation to ALSA.

Several thousand people around the world have now participated in the challenge, including a. the Two and a Half Men stars Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer , the Big Bang Theory stars Kaley Cuoco , Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons , artists like Lady Gaga , Justin Timberlake , Eva Longoria and Jennifer Lopez , but also athletes like Mario Götze , Sabine Lisicki , LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo alongside many others such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg .

By the end of August 2014, the campaign had revenues of more than $ 70.2 million compared to $ 2.1 million a year earlier. In addition, ALSA recorded more than 1.3 million new donors.

Corey Griffin (1986-2014), ex-manager of the US financial investor Bain Capital and co-inventor of the campaign, died on August 16, 2014 in a diving accident on the island of Nantucket .

criticism

Animal testing

According to the association Doctors Against Animal Experiments , the ALS Association conducts cruel and senseless animal experiments. In connection with the Ice Bucket Challenge , she called on ALSA to immediately stop research on animals and instead use the donations for animal-free tests with human cells, computer simulations or biochips.

Use of donations and the level of management compensation

In the German-language media, it was criticized that the association brings a high proportion of administrative costs for German standards and a relatively small proportion of donations into research. The president Jane H. Gilbert alone received an annual salary of 339,475 dollars (257,526 euros).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D. ( Memento of September 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Information on the ALS Association homepage (accessed on August 29, 2014).
  2. ↑ The ALS Association Appoints Dr. Lucie Bruijn as Its Scientific Director. Announcement by PR Newswire dated January 2, 2001 (accessed August 29, 2014).
  3. ↑ ALS Association: Have You Heard about the 'Ice Bucket Challenge?' . August 6, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ No Stopping the Ice Bucket Challenge: Tom Cruise, Ashton Kutcher Play Tag . NDTV. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  5. ↑ No Stopping the Ice Bucket Challenge: Tom Cruise, Ashton Kutcher Play Tag . NDTV. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  6. ↑ by stardustmelody77: Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting takes on Ice Bucket Challenge | The Bazinga Cast . Thebazingacast.co. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved on August 18, 2014.
  7. ↑ Jim Parsons takes the Ice Bucket Challenge , accessed August 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ Lady Gaga . Facebook. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  9. ↑ Eva Longoria's video "I accept @kenpaves challenge for ALS and now challenge @victoriabeckham @ricky_martin and…" on WhoSay . Whosay.com. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  10. ↑ Jennifer Lopez . Facebook. Retrieved August 18, 2014. (English)
  11. ↑ Mario Gotze . Facebook. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  12. ↑ WTA Stars take Ice Bucket Challenge (English), accessed on August 27, 2014
  13. ↑ [1]
  14. ↑ Neela Debnath: Bill Gates ice bucket challenge: Microsoft founder gets soaked after Mark Zuckerberg nomination , The Independent . August 16, 2014. 
  15. ↑ Mark Zuckerberg accepts challenge . August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  16. ↑ Press release ALSA August 21, 2014
  17. ↑ ALSA press release , online, accessed on August 25, 2014
  18. ^ Co-inventor of the "Ice Bucket Challenge" died. In: Die Welt vom August 20, 2014 (accessed August 20, 2014).
  19. ↑ Stephen Miller: Corey Griffin, Ex-Bain Capital Manager in ALS Drive, Dies at 27. In: Bloomberg LP, August 19, 2014 (English, accessed August 20, 2014).
  20. ^ Animal experiments in ALS research. Opinion on the Ice Bucket Challenge on the Doctors Against Animal Experiments website, August 26, 2014, accessed on the same day.
  21. ↑ Star from August 27, 2014: Where the millions of the Ice Bucket Challenge are going , Morning Post from August 28, 2014: Where are the donations from the "Ice Bucket Challenge" going?