The $1M ALS Biomarker Prize Has Been Won!
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<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <tr> <td><span class=default> <!-- <div id="translate-this"><a href="http://translateth.is/" class="translate-this-button">Translate</a></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.google.com/jsapi"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://x.translateth.is/translate-this.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> TranslateThis(); </script> --> <!-- startprint --> <span class=default><p>The $1M ALS Biomarker Prize has been won! Prize4Life's Scientific Advisory Board unaminously voted to award the prize to Dr. Seward Rutkove for his development of a technology called electrical impedance myography (EIM). To read Prize4Life's announcement of the award, <a title="" href="/page/news/6467">click here</a>. </p> <p>The $1M ALS Biomarker Prize was launched in November of 2006 with the <span>goal of accelerating the development of a biomarker—an inexpensive and easy-to-use tool that can accurately measure the progression of ALS in patients. <span>In 2006, Avi and the founding members of Prize4Life organized a conference with some of the leading minds from the ALS research community and the biotechnology industry in order to determine what obstacles existed that prevented the bridging of the gap between ALS research and products that would benefit patients—the so-called 'valley of death.' One challenge identified was the need for an effective biomarker to <span><span>in order to</span><font color="#000000"> </font><span>make ALS clinical trials cheaper, faster, and more appealing to investment from industry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span>At the time, there were no precise measures of ALS disease progression that allowed for short term monitoring of the disease and the assessment of treatment efficacy. Even now in clinical trials, survival time is used as the primary measure of effectiveness. Other measures include surveys of a patient's ability to walk, talk, swallow, etc. These methods require clinical trials to enroll large numbers of patients over a long period of time, usually an average of well over a year. By identifying a more sensitive and less subjective measure of disease progression, the $1M ALS Biomarker Challenge aimed to cut the cost of clinical trials in half. </p> <p><span>Dr. Seward Rutkove's biomarker, using a method called electrical impedance myography (EIM), sensitively measures the flow of a small electrical current through muscle tissue. The current travels differently through healthy and diseased tissue, and by comparing the size and speed of the electrical current, EIM can accurately measure the progression of the disease and drastically reduce the cost of clinical trials. You can read more about Dr. Rutkove's technology <a title="" href="http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2009/04/27/weekly6-Handheld-device-painlessly-tests-muscle-for-ALS.html">here</a>. </span></p> <p><span>The development of Dr. Rutkove's biomarker is a validation of the prize model in the biomedical field and a significant leap forward in ALS research. But the impact of this challenge reached far beyond his breakthrough:</span></p> <ul><span> <li> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in"><span>In 2007, Prize4Life awarded five 'thought' prizes to encourage promising biomarker concepts. Track 1 of the prize process generated novel approaches to a major challenge both in the ALS field and in research of other neuromuscular diseases. KineMed, a biotechnology company that received one of the 'thought' prizes, submitted a theoretical proposal for a biomarker that had potential utility in Parkinson's disease research—Prize4Life connected the company with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and they are currently working together to develop the technology. <a title="" href="/page/4841">Learn more about the other 'thought' prize winners here.</a> </span></div></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in"><span></span> </p> <ul> <li> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in"><span>In April of 2009, Prize4Life awarded two 'progress' prizes for solutions that had made significant progress towards meeting the criteria outlined in the challenge. One was awarded to Dr. Harvey Arbesman, a dermatologist and 'thought' prize recipient. His skin-based biomarker employed a method used in the cosmetic industry. While Dr. Arbesman's biomarker did not fully meet our criteria, Prize4Life saw that it was incorporated into an observational research ALS trial, where it may be able to provide insight into the fundamental mysteries of the disease. The other 'progress' prize winner was Dr. Rutkove as he came closer and closer to achieving a breakthrough with his biomarker. <a title="" href="/page/4844">Learn more about the two winning submissions here</a>. </span></div></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in"><span></span> </p> <ul> <li><span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in"><span>Over 1000 solvers from more than 20 countries competed in the various tracks of this challenge, with more than 2/3 of active solvers originating outside of the traditional ALS research field—an influx of new minds and new ideas into the fight against this terrible disease. </span></p></span></li></ul><span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in"><span></span> </p></span> <ul><span><span> <li> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in"><span>The $1M prize leveraged more than $4M in outside investment from teams and companies competing for the prize, increasing the pool of resources dedicated to ALS. </span></div></li></span></span></span></ul> <p><br> It is an exciting time at Prize4Life and within the ALS community. The $1M ALS Biomarker Challenge spurred a breakthrough that can accelerate the progress of drugs through the development pipeline, ensuring that potential therapies can benefit patients faster. And even as we celebrate the awarding of this prize, we are turning our attention to our second million-dollar challenge, the identification of a drug that can slow the progression of the disease. <a title="" href="/page/prizes/treatment_prize">Learn more about the $1M ALS Treatment Challenge here</a> and join the fight against ALS. The next breakthrough could be yours...</span> <!-- stopprint --> </span></td> </tr> </table>
