'The Cure is Coming!' 5k and Awareness Walk to End ALS Returns to Lexington

LEXINGTON, Mass., April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ninth annual "The Cure is Coming!" 5k and awareness walk to end ALS will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2013 in Lexington, MA. The event will gather local area residents to run, walk, or roll to raise money and awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. All proceeds will benefit research efforts at the Cambridge, MA-based nonprofit biotech, the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110204/DC42625LOGO)

Walkers of "The Cure is Coming!" will depart from Lexington Visitor Center at 11:00 a.m. and will complete a four-mile loop through Lexington Center and past the Lexington Battle Green. Runners will begin their 5k race at 11:30 a.m. in the opposite direction. The event also will feature family activities, entertainment and lunch, provided courtesy of local Lexington restaurants.

Cash prizes up to $150 will be awarded to the top five male and female 5k finishers. Walkers, runners, or volunteers who fundraised at least $500 by April 17 will be awarded a commemorative 2013 "The Cure is Coming!" running jacket.

"There are hundreds of people living right here in Massachusetts with ALS today who deserve a treatment.  This event accelerates our discovery and development efforts," says Steve Perrin, Ph.D., CEO & Chief Scientific Officer of ALS TDI. "We thank the people and township of Lexington for continuing to support this event each year, and thank all participants and supporters of 'The Cure is Coming!' who help us accomplish our mission to end ALS."

For more information, please visit the event's website at www.cureiscoming.org or call 617-441-7200.

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 cure for the disease. About 5,000 people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year; the incidence is similar to multiple sclerosis. However, with no effective treatment, the average patient survives only 2-5 years following diagnosis. There are about 30,000 people in the US diagnosed with ALS today. The worldwide population of ALS patients is estimated at 450,000.

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, the Gladstone Institutes, 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