Longitudinal Biofluids
Powered by The ALS Global Research Initiative, with longitudinal biofluid samples from the Global Natural History Study.
A united effort to transform ALS research
Target ALS is building the most comprehensive longitudinal biofluid repository for ALS, designed to accelerate the discovery and validation of biomarkers.
Our ALS Global Research Initiative (AGRI) represents a groundbreaking and transformative worldwide collaboration aimed at reshaping the landscape of ALS research.
AGRI is rooted in innovation, inclusion, and impact. This effort brings together researchers, clinicians, those living with ALS, and healthy individuals from around the globe to tackle ALS from every angle.
Our collection includes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, and urine samples, paired with detailed clinical, demographic, epidemiologic, at-home digital health data, and multi-omic datasets from participants with ALS and healthy controls, with a goal of at least 1,000 participants (800 ALS and 200 healthy controls).
The Impact of Biofluids
30,000+
Vials of biofluid samples collected
14
Active sites
292
Participants
(177 with ALS and 115 healthy controls)
Why our longitudinal biofluid core matters
Biomarkers are essential to earlier diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, evaluating therapeutic activity, and tracking treatment response in ALS. Limited access to high-quality, well-characterized longitudinal biofluids has slowed this progress. Our Core aims to change that.
What’s included in our research
More than 30,000 vials of samples and counting, including cross-sectional and longitudinal CSF, plasma, serum, and urine samples
Clinical and demographic metadata, longitudinal motor and cognitive measures
Multi-omic datasets including SR and LR-WGS, proteomics data, and neurofilament light levels (available soon) from 250 healthy and ALS cases to-date
Diversity is central to our approach, with active enrollment currently across 14 sites in North America, South America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Asia to capture the genetic, clinical, and environmental variability of ALS.
Samples from SOD1, C9orf72, and other rare mutation carriers.
Hear more about AGRI:
Clinical Sites
The Biofluid Consortium involves the following clinical centers:
Onboarding Sites:
- Australia
- Florida
- India
- Indonesia
- Phillippines
- Nortina Shahrizaila, Malaysia
Accessing the Biofluids Core
Physical samples can be requested through our streamlined application process. Submit a request form.
Requests are reviewed monthly by a sub-committee of our Independent Review Committee, followed by a short virtual discussion to confirm project needs. Non-confidential reports are required one year following receipt of samples.Samples are shipped once a Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA) has been completed. Data and intellectual property generated by the recipient (academic or industry) is owned by them. Approved third parties, affiliated with the recipient, may receive samples for analysis. See the MTA template.
IRB approval and Patient Consent
Every participant provides informed consent, which means they agree to share their samples and related genetic and other datasets for research. Every participating site has local or central IRB approval to conduct the study. Collecting samples under the same IRB-approved protocol helps ensure consistency, quality, and that participant rights are always protected. Samples and data are de-identified to protect patient privacy.
Global Natural History Study data references
- Target ALS Global Natural History + Longitudinal Biofluid Study Poster, Presented at ALS/MND 2025
Acknowledgement
Publications using these resources should acknowledge the Target ALS Longitudinal Biofluids Core and the Global Natural History Study.
