Applications to the Longitude Prize on ALS are open until 3 December 2025.
The Longitude Prize on ALS would not be possible without the support of our principal funder, the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
We recently spoke to Dr Brian Dickie MBE, Chief Scientist at the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Among other things, Brian speaks about the organisation’s involvement in the Prize, the science behind ALS, and the ways in which the Longitude Prize in ALS is offering innovators across the globe the possibility to make a real change.
What drew MND Association to the role of principal funder of the Longitude Prize on ALS?
It was both a timely and innovative opportunity. The AI field is experiencing a ‘gold rush’, with incredible opportunities and so much happening at such a pace, but we just don’t know what’s likely to be most helpful in advancing research and treatment. The Longitude Prize on ALS is structured to serve as a ‘funnel’ for innovation, capturing a wide variety of ideas and approaches at the outset and then, through subsequent competitive rounds, supporting the best of these through to a point where clinical trials can be planned off the back of a strong scientific evidence base.
Can you explain why ALS is so scientifically complex and the ways in which the Longitude Prize on ALS is aiming to untangle this complexity?
ALS is a multifactorial condition, with a complex combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors eventually tipping the scales and initiating the disease process. Most cases of MND occur over the age of 50, so all of this takes place over a prolonged period of decades and in an aging brain and body less able to repair the damage. As the global population ages, we are seeing a rise in neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Treating neurodegeneration has become the major health challenge of the 21st century. The Longitude Prize is well placed to help ensure that 21st century technology is being applied to the challenge.
What types of scientific expertise are required by the applicants of the Prize and who should be encouraged to apply?
Understanding and treating complex disease is going to require specialist knowledge and expertise. We want to see AI technologists, bioinformaticians, neuroscientists and neurologists combining their diverse knowledge and skillsets to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. As the Prize progresses through its phases, it will also be vital to draw in those from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, with the expertise in translational science, to plan the route to clinical trials. Challenge Works, who has designed the Prize, is serving as a ‘dating agency’ to bring these groups together.
How does this prize differ from other funding mechanisms for ALS research?
Most research studies start with a hypothesis and a plan of experiments to confirm or confute it. The Longitude Prize on ALS’ approach is not hypothesis-led, so it could be considered a riskier ‘fishing trip’ venture, but the sheer power of emerging AI technology to spot patterns in the noise of huge amounts of data, and at unprecedented speed, make this such a distinct and exciting initiative.
I have no doubt it will generate completely new drug targets. Even with my limited understanding of the approaches, I’m aware that some of these will be ‘AI hallucinations’, but the Prize strategy of validating findings through rigorous laboratory studies and putting the most promising candidates head-to-head for next stage funding will greatly increase the chances of success.
How has our understanding of ALS advanced over the past several decades?
It’s been 150 years since the disease was first characterised and for almost 130 years, very little progress was made in understanding the disease. The growth of international research output in ALS in the first quarter of this century has been exponential, driven by incredible advances in genetic research and molecular and cellular biology. Of course, the biggest challenge still faces us in turning knowledge into treatments, but there’s definitely a sea change happening, with the research community moving from the longstanding question “What’s happening in this disease?” to “What can we do about it?”.
As a scientist yourself, what do you think you would be most excited about if you were to apply for the Longitude Prize on ALS?
To be honest, I’ve been away from hands-on research for too long, so I’d be dangerous if let loose in a lab these days! From a scientific perspective, it would be the chance to work as part of such a highly specialised team with access to cutting-edge technology to discover things that have never been discovered before.
That said, and much as I love the science, when I worked in the lab it wasn’t just about advancing knowledge, it was also about how that knowledge might be applied. What could be more motivating than having an opportunity to find answers that may help us understand, treat and - eventually - defeat one of the most devastating diseases known to medicine?