Goals

Research on ALS is extremely complex: it involves different aspects and branches of medicine as well as many public and private bodies. The creation of an agency playing an active role in the coordination, support and rationalisation of the research was of a prior importance for the fight against ALS.
This would positively affect the coordination of the research both from the financial and strategic point of view in order to guarantee better and faster performances in the diagnosis, treatment and care of the disease so positively affecting the clinical practice.
AriSLA activity intends to reach three main goals:
1 To develop a multilateral and multidisciplinary network among different teams working on ALS basic, applied and clinical research, in order to promote understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease, to improve the  diagnosis system and find a cure.

2.To develop a large network of scientists and researchers; to boost synergies among research groups nationally and internationally; to promote coordinated national and international research programmes, paying a particular attention to European Commission funding opportunities.
3. To promote advanced training for researchers and career opportunities for young researches, through the creation of research grants, cooperation programs at national and international levels and by improving mobility for researchers.
 
Tasks

In order to fulfil these goals, AriSLA will act on different levels:
• financing basic, clinical and technological research projects, with own calls for proposal.
• coordinating the participation of research groups at national and international calls for proposal;
• enhancing translational research and the transfer of basic and pre-clinic research in clinical practices;

• encouraging collaboration between basic research and clinical research teams;
• encouraging the research and standardisation of biological markers and therapeutic targets
• providing scientific and methodological support to researchers and to develop experimental therapy protocols;
• giving access to clinical trials of people with ALS at different stages of the disease;
• encouraging the diffusion of common diagnosis criteria and common ways of clinical management of patients, according to international standards
• providing access to specialised libraries (medical literature, research protocols, clinical studies), clinical databases and biologic banks, as research tools

• encouraging the collaboration between Italian and foreign researchers, through the setting up of interdisciplinary and multinational networks
• coordinating large international research programs (e.g. Programs founded by EU Commission, or NIH)

• supporting young researchers training and careers, promoting their activities and mobility and their participation to international networks.