Every year, nearly 5,000 people in America are diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.
The disease was first identified in 1869 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. In 1939, ALS received a lot of attention when baseball legend Lou Gehrig was diagnosed. In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge once again turned the spotlight on ALS. According to the ALS Association, 150+ active research projects have been funded since the challenge, translating into new hope for patients around the globe and right here at Ochsner.