Les Turner ALS Foundation Commits $10 Million to Enhance ALS Research and Care
This story was published in the September 2024 issue of The Philanthropist, a newsletter for supporters and friends of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Read past issues here.
In August, the Les Turner ALS Foundation signed a 10-year, $10 million gift agreement with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, reaffirming its belief in and partnership with the medical school’s world-class physician-scientists striving for a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
"The scientists at the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern Medicine bring extraordinary talent, curiosity, and compassion to their research,” said Laura Freveletti, chief executive officer of the Les Turner ALS Foundation. “We're thrilled to continue this partnership because they are making progress in revealing the causes of this disease and finding new treatment pathways, and they are bringing hope to everyone who dreams of seeing a world free of ALS."
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, affects about 350,000 people worldwide, with an average survival rate of three years. The degeneration of nerve cells leads to muscle weakness and impaired speaking, swallowing, and breathing, eventually causing paralysis and death. Currently, there is no cure.
The pledge, which will support numerous innovative studies into the neurological disease over the next decade, marks the continuation of a long and productive history between the Les Turner ALS Foundation and Feinberg. The medical school became the first to host a devoted ALS research team in the 1970s, when friends and family of the late Les Turner, diagnosed with ALS at the age of 36, approached Northwestern with $50,000 to improve research and resources for patients with ALS and their families. The school matched this donation.
Today, the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern provides a robust hub for this mission. The school’s physicians and scientists pursue novel investigations into the disease, offer life-enhancing treatments through its Lois Insolia ALS Clinic, and educate the next generation of ALS specialists.
Harvey Gaffen, founder and chair emeritus of the Les Turner ALS Foundation, championed the work and vision of the Les Turner ALS Center made possible through the partnership with the Foundation.
“I am extremely proud of the continuation of our 45-year partnership with Northwestern,” Mr. Gaffen said. “The Les Turner ALS Foundation’s special relationship with Northwestern has always been built on shared values. They have never wavered from their commitment to making our cause their cause."
He also was Mr. Turner’s brother-in-law and best friend and part of the fundraising group establishing Northwestern’s ALS program.
The Foundation has been a steadfast sponsor of ALS research at Northwestern in addition to its long-term pledges. In 2024, it awarded more than $1 million in research grants and clinic and endowment support at the Les Turner ALS Center. Nine research projects benefited from the support, including lines of study originating from earlier Foundation grants. These include studies into the connection between the immune system and ALS and studies of stem cells to better understand the drivers behind the disease.
The Lois Insolia ALS Clinic at the Les Turner ALS Center offers total care and support for people with ALS, their families, and their caregivers. The center is staffed by a multidisciplinary team led by Senda Ajroud-Driss, MD, the Les Turner ALS Foundation/Herbert C. Wenske Professor of Neurology. Dr. Ajroud-Driss’s leadership has seen more than 14 clinical trials launch over the past five years.
In the fall, the annual Les Turner Symposium on ALS draws foremost experts from around the world to Northwestern’s Chicago campus to discuss the landscape of research and care. Hundreds of scientists, patients, and advocates attend the symposium, led by symposium chair Hande Ozdinler, PhD, associate professor of Neurology. This year’s symposium is on November 4.
“The Les Turner ALS Foundation’s gift is both a heartfelt and strategic endorsement of our renowned ALS program. We are forever grateful for the Foundation’s enduring partnership and are optimistic about the future of research into this terrible disease. Together, we will find a cure,” said Robert G. Kalb, MD, director of the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern and the Joan and Paul Rubschlager Professor of Neurology.
For more information about supporting the Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, please contact Andrew Christopherson at andrew.christopherson@northwestern.edu or 312-503-3080.