Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS
617-724-3914
Multidisciplinary care and ALS research leadership
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive condition that primarily that affects the nerve cells that control muscle movement (motor neurons). Over time, it leads to muscle weakness and loss of function.
Every person’s journey with ALS is different. At the Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute, our specialists focus on understanding the distinctive needs of each person to provide coordinated, personalized care.
You also have access to one of the largest hospital-based ALS research programs in the world. This includes clinical trials and, when appropriate, expanded access (compassionate use) treatment options. These opportunities are carefully reviewed with your care team so you can make informed decisions about your care.
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Our approach to ALS care and research
Since 1993, our program has brought together leading experts with deep experience in ALS treatment and research. Depending on your needs and preferences, your team may include experts in:
- Neurology
- Pulmonary care
- Nutrition
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Speech and assistive communication therapy
- Respiratory therapy
- Social work
- Genetic counseling
- Palliative care
- Physiatry
- In home care
- Parent guidance
- Counseling for all needs
These specialists all come together to create a care plan personalized to you.
Our team combines multiple specialty appointments in one clinic visit. We also provide virtual, in clinic and in home follow up visits.
If this is your first visit, please bring your insurance card, photo identification, and a current list of medications and supplements. We also recommend bringing relevant medical records and imaging on disk, as well as any respiratory equipment or nutritional support you may need.
Along with therapies that support mobility, communication, and daily function, we prescribe FDA-approved medications to help manage ALS symptoms. Medications are selected based on your needs and may include:
- Riluzole
- Edaravone
- Tofersen (for people with SOD1-associated ALS)
- Nuedexta
We also connect patients and families with community resources for additional support.
As part of your personalized care plan, we offer telehealth appointments by phone and video. If you are interested in a telehealth visit, please ask your clinician about setting one up for you.
In addition, we offer house calls/home visits. You can communicate with your clinician through secure messaging, mobile applications, and remote monitoring tools.
For more than 30 years, the Healey & AMG Center for ALS has been a leader in discovering new ways to understand and treat ALS. In 1993, our researchers identified the very first gene linked to ALS — a breakthrough that opened the door to today’s modern ALS research. Since then, our scientists and clinicians have continued to push the field forward. We helped create the Network of Excellence for ALS (NEALS), a global network that brings ALS researchers and clinical centers together to accelerate progress. Our leadership also launched one of the first platform trials in ALS and contributed to the first precision therapy trial — milestones that helped move new treatments forward faster.
Healey & AMG Center for ALS patients have access to research studies across Mass General Brigham focused on understanding genetic causes of ALS, why motor neurons degenerate, and strategies to slow or prevent progression and approaches to return function.
For some patients who are not eligible for a trial, investigational therapies may be available through Expanded Access Protocols.
24/7
Care with access to clinical trials and investigational therapies
100+
Research studies underway at any time
30+
Years of discovering new ways to understand and treat ALS
ALS clinical trials and research
The Healey & AMG Center for ALS leads one of the most active ALS research programs in the world, with 100+ studies underway at any time. Our teams focus on developing new treatments, improving biomarkers, and designing more efficient clinical trials to move promising therapies forward.
Our goal is to accelerate the development of treatments that slow, stop, and one day prevent ALS. Our integrated model brings together scientists, clinicians, engineers, and people living with ALS to move discoveries from the laboratory into clinical trials.
Research includes cell and gene therapies, targeted antibodies, and small-molecule treatments, with the goal of slowing or stopping the disease. Because ALS affects each person differently, we use precision medicine approaches to help match treatments to each person’s biology.
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Contact the Healey & AMG Center for ALS
617-724-3914
International Patient Services
Contact information for international patients