Does anyone know what the ALS Association is planning to do with the extra $100 million they are now on course to raise this year? I understand and applaud the generosity and motivations of those who have and will do the ice bucket challenge but, to be honest, I think there is something a little weird about the whole thing. It seems to me to be yet another manifestation and confluence of two really irritating traits in current American society: celebrity fascination and selfies (aka LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME, IM HERE!). One of my best friends, Jameel Parker, has ALS and I want to do nothing to interfere with any possibility that will further the search for a cure or, at the very least, an effective treatment but I do question whether throwing a huge pot of money at the ALS Association is really the best approach to this. As someone who has worked for medical researchers for some 25 years, its a pretty sure bet that most of that money is going to sit on the Associations books for a long time as there really is no way to ramp up research that quickly. Does it make sense to tie up large sums now? I will be most happy if this new model proves more effective than running it through NIH and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 15:45:38 +0000
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