What is ALS?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a fatal neuro-degenerative disease in which the motor neurons in the spine die and progressively paralyze the body. There is no known cause or cure. Nearly 30,000 people presently living in the U.S. today will die from ALS if a cure or prevention is not found.
Each year in the U.S. there are approximately 5,000 newly diagnosed ALS cases. While this is a substantial number, ALS itself is not common enough to attract major research dollars from government funds or large pharmaceutical companies. Thus, finding a cure for ALS has been an orphaned cause.
More information can be found in the Wikipedia entry on Motor Neurone Disease.