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Longitude-ALS Prize: A Major Leap Towards ALS Research

The Longitude-ALS Prize, a global challenge award endowed with £7.5 million, has been launched to inspire research efforts targeting the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of Motor Neuron Disease (MND). This initiative aims to revolutionize drug discovery through innovative, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based approaches that could lead to effective treatments for this complex illness.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that inflicts damage on nerves in both the brain and spinal cord, resulting in severe muscle degeneration. The likelihood of a person developing MND stands at about 1 in 300, and approximately 90% of these cases are classified as ALS. While there have been limited treatment options available to temporarily slow disease progression, no long-term therapies or cures currently exist. Yet, advancements in AI have started to offer unprecedented opportunities for innovators to stay ahead in the fight against ALS.

Tris Dyson, the Managing Director of Challenge Works, who himself was diagnosed with ALS in 2023, emphasizes the need for effective treatments, stating: "ALS is incredibly complex, making it challenging to develop truly effective countermeasures against this dreadful disease. Thanks to relentless fundraising over the past decade, a wealth of data about ALS has been collected that was previously unavailable, bringing us to a crucial turning point. Last year, Tofersen, the first promising medication for patients with the extremely rare inherited form of MND (affecting about 2% of patients), showed that ALS is no longer an impenetrable black box for us. We're on a path to create treatments not only for all MND patients but specifically for those of us living with ALS as well. The rapid advancements in AI could build this trajectory into a highway.

"For the first time, we have the ability to decode the complexities of MND and, particularly, ALS, and accelerate our quest for long-term treatments and potentially, a cure. The Longitude-ALS Prize facilitates this by aggregating the largest dataset of ALS patient information ever made available and rewarding researchers who leverage AI to uncover the most promising drug targets."

Funded primarily by the Motor Neurone Disease Association, this prize is developed and executed by Challenge Works with support from Nesta, the Alan Davidson Foundation, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, LifeArc, FightMND, The 10,000 Brains Project, Answer ALS, and the Packard Center at Johns Hopkins.

Targeting innovative researchers in medical research, biotechnology, techbio, pharmaceuticals, and AI, the prize will initially reward the 20 most promising participants with £100,000 each at the start of 2026. Following a rigorous evaluation, teams will be assessed based on the effectiveness of their approach in identifying and validating drug targets, thereby deepening the understanding of the disease and supporting the subsequent transition to drug development.

The application deadline is set for December 3, 2025, with the 20 selected participants to be announced in the first half of 2026. Lucy Hawking, journalist and daughter of the late MND Association patron, Prof. Stephen Hawking, remarks, “The Longitude-ALS Prize represents a vital step toward gaining a better understanding of Motor Neuron Disease, especially ALS. I hope that the prize will encourage researchers and scientists to utilize AI for new insights into this devastating disease and accelerate the search for treatment and cures. For those living with the disease and their families, this would bring immense relief and joy. My father lived over 50 years with MND, the longest-known survivor, and his greatest hope was for a cure to be found someday. I am proud to support the Longitude Prize and wish every participant much success.”

Tanya Curry, Chief Executive of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, adds, “The Longitude-ALS Prize will spark a fundamental change for those afflicted with Motor Neuron Disease, uniting some of the brightest minds in science and technology. Investing as the primary funder in such collaborations, the unprecedented amount of data we aim to harness promises significant milestones not just in understanding the disease, but also in its treatment for the MND community."

Successful applicants will gain access to the largest collection of ALS patient data of its kind, hosted on Amazon Web Services, in partnership with Project MinE, Answer ALS, New York Genome Center (NYGC), ALS Compute, and the ALS Therapy Development Institute.

Ten teams will advance to a second phase, receiving an additional £200,000 in 2027 to enhance the evidence base for their identified therapeutic targets. In 2028, five teams will each receive £500,000 for validating the highest-potential targets. The main £1 million prize will be awarded in 2031.

For more information, visit als.longitudeprize.org.