United for answers: leading ALS organizations announce ‘Champion Insights’ to unlock why athletes and military members face higher ALS risk

State-of-the-art remote-participation research seeks to understand how genetic factors linked to intense activities and lipid metabolism may increase ALS susceptibility

2025-08-13

(Press-News.org) NEW ORLEANS, August 13, 2025 — Answer ALS, in collaboration with ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) and Augie’s Quest, today announced plans to launch Champion Insights, an ambitious research initiative designed to uncover critical genetic and metabolic mechanisms that may explain the significantly higher incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among endurance athletes, military service members, and potentially other high-performing populations.

ALS is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with no cure, affecting more than 5,000 Americans annually, and shows a 25% higher incidence in high-performing groups like athletes and military members compared to the general population. Recent European studies highlight endurance athletes, suggesting shared genetic factors may underlie both exceptional performance and increased ALS risk.

Champion Insights will meet this challenge head-on by using remote-participation technology to turn participants’ own homes into real-world research sites. The program will collect blood samples and clinical data from up to 500 participants, eliminating logistical and geographic barriers and greatly expanding who can take part in ALS research. Former NFL athlete Steve Gleason, founder of Answer ALS andTeam Gleason, which provides critical equipment and services to the ALS community, will be the first to participate, remotely giving a blood sample to officially launch the initiative.

“Understanding ALS requires fundamentally rethinking how research is done,” Gleason explained. “By empowering people to conveniently participate from home, Champion Insights can hopefully unravel why elite athletes and high performers are disproportionately impacted. It’s precisely the kind of science we can’t afford to overlook. I’m giving my blood and self to be participant #1, but because I ordinarily prefer #37, I’m challenging 36 more former athletes, military members, and adrenaline-driven humans with ALS to join me.”

Fernando Vieira, M.D., CEO and CSO, of ALS TDI, highlighted Champion Insights’ transformative potential:

“To solve ALS, research must prioritize the specific genetic and metabolic pathways that distinguish certain populations. Champion Insights does exactly this,” said Vieira. “By allowing higher-risk groups such as elite athletes and military personnel to participate remotely, we can rapidly generate actionable data on lipid metabolism, genetics, and ALS. This innovative approach will meaningfully accelerate therapeutic discovery.”

“Augie Nieto believed the most meaningful progress starts with motivation and passion,” said Shannon K. Shryne, President and Co-Founder of Augie’s Quest. “As both an athlete and a visionary in the fitness world, he pushed for approaches that challenged convention and aimed higher. Champion Insights reflects that spirit — targeting the deeper biological patterns that may explain ALS risk in communities like the one Augie belonged to. Our mission is to make sure bold ideas like this have the support they need to go the distance.”

Champion Insights integrates seamlessly with Answer ALS’s Neuromine Data Portal — the world’s largest openly accessible ALS research repository — adding critical new layers of biological, clinical, and genetic data to drive global ALS research collaboration.

Clare Durrett, Managing Director of Answer ALS, highlighted the strategic importance of this comprehensive approach:

“The mysteries of ALS will only be answered by asking precisely the right questions, to precisely the right populations,” said Durrett. “Champion Insights brings together advanced genomic science, detailed natural history, and a wide array of omics, combined with seamless remote-participation technology, into a single, streamlined initiative. This accelerates our ability to understand and ultimately disrupt the mechanisms behind ALS.”

“As an aviator, we trained to operate at our best, physically, mentally, and professionally. That relentless pursuit of excellence is something we take pride in. Now, science is beginning to uncover that some of the same traits that drive high performers, whether in the military, athletics, or beyond, may also be linked to increased ALS risk. That’s why Champion Insights is so important. It can help us explore the ‘why’ to unlock answers. We owe it to every warrior, competitor, and teammate impacted by ALS to keep searching,” said Matt Bellina, retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander and person living with ALS.

The anticipated start date for recruiting participants will be late November 2025. High-performance athletes and military service members diagnosed with ALS who are interested in participating or learning more about Champion Insights can visit ChampionInsights.org. Other populations determined to exhibit a higher incidence will be considered for inclusion.

About Answer ALS

Answer ALS is the most comprehensive ALS research consortium in history, producing more ALS data and biological samples than has ever been amassed, while openly sharing with the global research community. These data and samples are used to investigate the unique pathways of each variation of ALS and begin to develop and test the right treatments or cure. Answer ALS is an unprecedented approach to understanding and defeating the disease. Headquartered in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., Answer ALS stands at the forefront of global efforts to eradicate the disease, supported by research partners and advocates worldwide.

For more information, visit us at answerals.org, LinkedIn, X,  Facebook and Instagram.

About ALS TDI

The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is the first and largest nonprofit research institute dedicated solely to discovering and inventing effective treatments for ALS.

ALS TDI takes a multifaceted approach to ending ALS—inventing and advancing targeted treatments, identifying causes and risk factors, and cultivating a research ecosystem in which ALS drug development is effective and efficient. In its state-of-the-art labs, ALS TDI researchers drive drug discovery across multiple stages, working to advance the many therapies necessary for addressing the various types of ALS. alstdi.net,  LinkedIn,  X,  Facebook and Instagram.

About Augie’s Quest

Founded by Augie Nieto, Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS is the unwavering force driving breakthroughs in ALS research, defying limitations, and empowering hope for a future without this devastating disease. We are dedicated to funding innovative research to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure, while advancing the field and translating scientific knowledge into real-world solutions. For more information, visit us at augiesquest.org,  LinkedIn,  X,  Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contacts:

Kissy Black
Answer ALS
kblack@answerals.org

Roxan Triolo Olivas
Lotos Nile
roxan@lotosnile.com

Meghan Lawlor
ALS Therapy Development Institute
mlawlor@als.net

Shannon Shryne
Augie’s Quest
shannon@augiesquest.org

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Up to $5.2 million in federal funds will enable WashU to develop new biomanufacturing capabilities

2025-08-13

By Leah Shaffer The process of biomanufacturing requires engineering microbes to produce useful chemicals and materials from carbon neutral processes. But current biomanufacturing cannot get beyond small production scale unless it can outcompete big oil. The petrochemical industry produces chemicals and material building blocks at a low cost because these processes can run nonstop. However, performing microbial biomanufacturing continuously faces numerous challenges and presents a significant hurdle for economically viable bioproduction. At the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, researchers are ...

AI-informed approach to CAR design enhances bi-specific CAR T cells

2025-08-13

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – August 13, 2025) A computational approach by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists promises to make designing T cell-based immunotherapies that target two cancer-related antigens at the same time far easier and faster. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are a type of immunotherapy that reprograms a patient’s immune cells to target a tumor-specific protein antigen. Targeting just one cell surface antigen often is not enough to eradicate the tumor. Thus, scientists ...

Discovery confirms early species of hominins co-existed in Ethiopia

2025-08-13

While we know much of the story of how humans evolved, the puzzle is still missing critical pieces. For example, fossil evidence for human evolution between 2 and 3 million years ago is patchy. It’s frustrating because we know that the branch of the hominin family tree that includes humans, or Homo sapiens, appears in the fossil record for the first time in this period. Today, Homo sapiens (which anthropologists shorten to Homo), is the only hominin species alive. But in the past, Homo wasn’t alone. We coexisted and competed with other branches of the human family tree. Research ...

‘Controlled evolution’ dramatically boosts pDNA production for biomedical manufacturing

2025-08-13

Researchers have controlled the evolution of E. coli bacteria in the lab in order to dramatically increase the amount of plasmid DNA (pDNA) these modified bacteria produce. The advance is significant because pDNA is an essential – and expensive – ingredient in many gene therapies, and the new technique could drive down the cost of these medical treatments. pDNA are found naturally in many bacteria and differ from other forms of DNA because the double helix shape most people are familiar with forms a circle, rather than the linear shape found in humans and most other organisms. “pDNA is relatively easy to work with in the lab – it’s stable and easy ...

Ultrasound AI publishes landmark study demonstrating breakthrough in predicting delivery timing using AI and ultrasound images

2025-08-13

Ultrasound AI, a pioneer in artificial intelligence applications for medical imaging, today announced the publication of groundbreaking findings from its PAIR (Perinatal Artificial Intelligence in Ultrasound) Study in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine. The study was performed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Kentucky and validates Ultrasound AI’s proprietary technology that more accurately predicts time to delivery using only standard ultrasound images. This technology offers a non-invasive, efficient, and scalable tool ...

Scientists get back to basics with minimal plant genomes

2025-08-13

Background: Ancient events in plant evolution have left behind large, duplicated regions in their genomes. New discovery: Salk Institute scientists found that deleting these large blocks of DNA can still lead to normal plants. The findings demonstrate that large chromosomal deletions are a viable strategy in plant genetic engineering, which could now accelerate the development of streamlined, minimal plant genomes—a major goal in industries looking to create new plant-based biotechnologies. The new study, led by Salk Research Professor Todd Michael and computational scientist Ashot Papikian, was published in Proceedings ...

‘Revolutionary’ seafloor fiber sensing reveals how falling ice drives glacial retreat in Greenland

2025-08-13

As glaciers melt, huge chunks of ice break free and splash into the sea, generating tsunami-size waves and leaving behind a powerful wake as they drift away. This process, called calving, is important for researchers to understand. But the front of a glacier is a dangerous place for data collection.  To solve this problem, a team of researchers from the University of Washington and collaborating institutions used a fiber-optic cable to capture calving dynamics across the fjord of the Eqalorutsit Kangilliit Sermiat glacier in South Greenland. Data collected from the cable allowed them to document — without getting ...

Two-dose therapy for S. aureus bloodstream infections on par with standard treatment

2025-08-13

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025 11 a.m. Eastern Time Media Contact: NIH Office of Communications 301-496-5787 A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported clinical trial has found that the outcome of treating complicated Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections with two intravenous (IV) doses of the antibiotic dalbavancin seven days apart is just as good as daily IV doses of conventional antibiotics over four to six weeks. Nearly 120,000 S. aureus bloodstream infections and 20,000 associated deaths occurred in the United States in 2017. The study results provide the clearest evidence to date for the safety and effectiveness ...

Quitting smoking is associated with recovery from other addictions

2025-08-13

Embargoed for Release Wednesday, August 13, 2025 11 a.m. EDT Contact: NIH Office of Communications 301.496.5787 Adults who smoke cigarettes and are addicted to alcohol or other drugs were more likely to achieve sustained remission of their substance use disorder symptoms if they also quit smoking, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Based on their analysis of data from a large U.S. study of smoking and health, researchers believe the results clearly show the benefit of pairing ...

Overhaul global food systems to avert worsening land crisis: Scientists

2025-08-13

In Nature, 21 leading scientists today prescribe ways to use food systems to halt and reverse land degradation, underlining that doing so must become a top global priority to mitigate climate change and stop biodiversity loss. The article breaks new ground by quantifying the impact by 2050 of reducing food waste by 75% and maximising sustainable ocean-based food production, measures that alone could spare an area larger than Africa. According to the paper: “Food systems have not yet been fully incorporated into intergovernmental agreements, nor do they receive ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Blood cancer therapy: DKMS John Hansen Research Grant 2026 supports innovative research projects with almost €1 million

A hospital imaging technique used in cancer care improves the monitoring and treatment of atherosclerosis

Parents may have been more likely to cheat than non-parents during the COVID-19 pandemic

US clinicians are more likely to question credibility of Black than White patients in medical notes

Binge gaming was associated with depression, anxiety, and poor sleep, with boys more likely to report binge gaming than girls, in Hong Kong survey of 2,592 children and adolescents

North American monarch butterflies use magnetic fields to migrate to and from their overwintering sites - using cold temperatures to tune how they use magnetic fields - per experimental study, which m

Specially adapted drones successfully use a "tap and go" approach to apply monitoring tags to whales, speeding up the process and avoiding human interference

Analyzing the micromovements of recovering alcoholics in response to stimuli, along with their reaction times, might help predict if they will relapse following treatment

Stalagmites in Mexican caves reveal duration and severity of drought during the Maya collapse

Research Alert: A genetic twist that sets humans apart

Arctic reindeer populations could decline by 80 per cent by 2100

Cornell researchers explore alternatives to harmful insecticide

Fermentation method transforms unripe fruits into specialty coffees

Oncology, primary care coordination necessary for best cancer patient outcomes

Breakthrough discovery sparks new hope for breathing recovery after spinal cord injuries

Can officials say what they need to say about a health emergency in 280 characters?