The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS awards the fourth annual Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji & Family ALS Endowed Award for Innovative Healing to Richard Robitaille, Ph.D.

MONTREAL- The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center is thrilled to award the fourth annual Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji & Family ALS Endowed Award for Innovative Healing to Richard Robitaille, Ph.D., for his work focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying neuromuscular junction (NMJ) impairments in ALS, resulting in a clinical trial.  

The prize was presented to Dr. Robitaille during the 35th International Symposium on ALS/MND in Montreal, Quebec by Merit Cudkowicz, MD, Director of the Healey & AMG Center at MGH.  

The Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji & Family ALS Endowed Award for Innovative Healing is made possible by the generous support of the Lalji family, in honor of Dr. Ayeez Lalji, who was diagnosed in 2017 and lived bravely and valiantly with ALS. The award aims to recognize excellence in transformative scientific discoveries focused on repair of neurological function in ALS. 

Dr. Robitaille has long been a leader in the basic biology of the neuromuscular synapse (NMJ). In the early 2010s, he applied his expertise to ALS research, investigating the relationship between normal repair mechanisms, governed by the specialized support cells, the perisynaptic Schwann cells, and ALS-related impairments. 

Since then, Dr. Robitaille’s research has established that these Schwann cells do not function properly, and modulation of muscarinic receptors via drug agonists and antagonists can toggle these specialized cells between repair and maintenance mode. Furthermore, his work has identified a critical therapeutic window during which NMJs are denervated, but the motor neurons are not yet lost, within which to promote NMJ reinnervation. 

This decade-long investigation has led to the initiation of a clinical trial exploring the potential of repurposing the FDA-approved drug, darifenacin, for the treatment of ALS. Dr. Robitaille’s research demonstrated that darifenacin restores the function of these Schwann cells in ALS models, with a significant impact on the disease progression. 

“I would like to thank the Lalji family award and the Healey & AMG Center for recognizing our efforts in understanding the impaired mechanisms at neuromuscular synapse in ALS and developing novel neuromuscular-targeted therapeutic strategies that are now tested in the clinic,” said Dr. Robitaille “My team and I are truly honored to receive this award and deeply thankful to the ALS patients and their families.” 

“We are excited to recognize such a deserving individual in the field of ALS research” said Cudkowicz, who is also the Chair of Neurology at MGH. “Dr. Robitaille exemplifies innovation in care; his willingness to push the boundaries of what is possible in clinical research and understanding this intricate disease is inspiring. We look forward to following his clinical trial.”  

The Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji & Family ALS Endowed Award for Innovative Healing is an annual, global prize with the goal of identifying therapies and modalities to regain lost function in people living with ALS. To learn more about this $40,000 USD prize and how to nominate an individual or team for the annual award, click here. 


About the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General 

At the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General, we are committed to bringing together a global network of scientists, physicians, nurses, foundations, federal agencies, and people living with ALS, their loved ones, and caregivers to accelerate the pace of ALS therapy discovery and development. 

Launched in November 2018, the Healey & AMG Center, under the leadership of Merit Cudkowicz, MD and a Science Advisory Council of international experts, is reimagining how to develop and test the most promising therapies to treat the disease, identify cures and ultimately prevent it. 

With many clinical trials and lab-based research studies in progress right now, we are ushering in a new phase of ALS treatment and care. Together, we will find the cures. 

ALS Heroes  

The ALS Heroes Foundation is an organization committed to bringing awareness and innovation to finding a cure for ALS while supporting and caring for individuals living with the disease. By leveraging technology and promoting quality-of-life measures, we aim to honor and empower the true heroes of the ALS community.