ALS TDI Tri-State Trek Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The annual three day, 270 mile bike ride continues its commitment to fund research to end ALS

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) Tri-State Trek is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. A three-day, 270 mile bike ride from Boston to Greenwich, CT, the Trek raises money and awareness to end amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

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"The ALS TDI Tri-State Trek is about riding for those who can't," says David Virden, a five-time cyclist in the event and now the Tri-State Trek's organizer. "Over the years this event has brought so many great people together – from those who know someone with ALS or have lost someone to the disease to those who come to support the cause. Watching a loved one suffer through ALS leaves family and friends feeling helpless. Riders, crew and supporters of ALS TDI's Tri-State Trek feel like they're doing something that weekend. It's an unbelievable feeling. We ride to support one another and raise money so that one day, no one has to die from ALS."

The 10th anniversary three-day Tri-State Trek will take place July 20-22, 2012. It will start in Newton, MA, on Friday, July 20, and finish in Greenwich, CT, on Sunday, July 22. The route passes through 52 communities and includes 12 rest stops, two lunch stops and two overnight stays. Cyclists can ride all or part of the route and participate all three days, one of the three days or any two-day combination. In addition, volunteers and crew are needed and encouraged to participate throughout the three days.

Since 2003, the Trek has grown from 16 cyclists to more than 260 riders in 2011. The event has raised more than $2.6 million for ALS TDI, a nonprofit biotechnology institute in Cambridge, MA, dedicated to developing effective therapies as soon as possible for people with ALS today.

"The 10th anniversary ride is both a celebratory event and a sobering reminder of how devastating a disease ALS still is to people today," says Steve Perrin, Ph.D., CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of ALS TDI and a cyclist in the Tri-State Trek. "We want to thank everyone who participates, volunteers, donates and cheers during the Tri-State Trek. Everyone involved in this event plays a crucial role in helping ALS TDI to advance potential treatments for ALS toward the clinic as quickly as possible for patients today."

For more information on riding, volunteering, donating or just coming out to cheer, call 617-441-7200 or visit us online at http://www.als.net/tst.

About ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis, due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cause, cure or effective treatment for the disease. About 5,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year; the incidence is similar to Multiple Sclerosis. However, with no effective treatment and an aggressive and rapid disease progression, the average patient survives only 2-5 years following their diagnosis. There are about 30,000 U.S. citizens diagnosed with the disease at any given time. The worldwide population of ALS patients is estimated at 400,000.

About ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI)
The mission of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develop effective therapeutics that slow or stop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) as soon as possible for patients today. Focused on meeting this urgent unmet medical need, ALS TDI executes a robust target discovery program, while simultaneously operating the world's largest efforts to preclinically validate potential therapeutics; including a pipeline of dozens of small molecules, protein biologics, gene therapies and cell-based constructs. The world's first nonprofit biotech institute, ALS TDI has developed an industrial-scale platform, employs 30 professional scientists and evaluates dozens of potential therapeutics each year. Built by and for patients, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, based research institute collaborates with leaders in both academia and industry to accelerate ALS therapeutic development, including Biogen Idec, UCB, Aestus Therapeutics, MDA and RGK Foundation. For more information, please visit us online at www.als.net.

Media Contact:
Mari Sullivan, Public Relations Manager, ALS TDI, 617-441-7220, [email protected]

SOURCE ALS Therapy Development Institute