BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID;X-RICAL-TZSOURCE=TZINFO:-//com.denhaven2/NONSGML ri_cal gem//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:Press Release\n \;Media Contact:\nMari Sullivan\, Public Relations Manager\, ALS TDI\, 617-441-7220\, msullivan@als.net \;\nF or Immediate Release\nALS TDI Tri-State Trek Celebrates 10th Anniversary \nThe annual three day\, 270 mile bike ride continues its commitment to fund research to end ALS\nCambridge\, MA &ndash\; April 23\, 2012 &ndash \; The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) Tri-State Trek is cel ebrating its 10th anniversary this year. A three-day\, 270 mile bike rid e from Boston to Greenwich\, CT\, the Trek raises money and awareness to end amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)\, better known as Lou Gehrig&rs quo\;s disease.\n&ldquo\;The ALS TDI Tri-State Trek is about riding for those who can&rsquo\;t\,&rdquo\; says David Virden\, a five-time cyclist in the event and now the Tri-State Trek&rsquo\;s organizer. &ldquo\;Ove r the years this event has brought so many great people together &ndash\ ; from those who know someone with ALS or have lost someone to the disea se to those who come to support the cause. Watching a loved one suffer t hrough ALS leaves family and friends feeling helpless. Riders\, crew and supporters of ALS TDI&rsquo\;s Tri-State Trek feel like they&rsquo\;re doing something that weekend. It&rsquo\;s an unbelievable feeling. We ri de to support one another and raise money so that one day\, no one has t o die from ALS.&rdquo\;\nThe 10th anniversary three-day Tri-State Trek w ill take place July 20-22\, 2012. It will start in Newton\, MA\, on Frid ay\, July 20\, and finish in Greenwich\, CT\, on Sunday\, July 22. The r oute passes through 52 communities and includes 12 rest stops\, two lunc h stops and two overnight stays. Cyclists can ride all or part of the ro ute and participate all three days\, one of the three days or any two-da y combination. In addition\, volunteers and crew are needed and encourag ed to participate throughout the three days.\nSince 2003\, the Trek has grown from 16 cyclists to more than 260 riders in 2011. The event has ra ised more than $2.6 million for ALS TDI\, a nonprofit biotechnology inst itute in Cambridge\, MA\, dedicated to developing effective therapies as soon as possible for people with ALS today.\n&ldquo\;The 10th anniversa ry ride is both a celebratory event and a sobering reminder of how devas tating a disease ALS still is to people today\,&rdquo\; says Steve Perri n\, Ph.D.\, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of ALS TDI and a cyclist in the Tri-State Trek. &ldquo\;We want to thank everyone who participates\ , volunteers\, donates and cheers during the Tri-State Trek. Everyone in volved in this event plays a crucial role in helping ALS TDI to advance potential treatments for ALS toward the clinic as quickly as possible fo r patients today.&rdquo\;\nFor more information on riding\, volunteering \, donating or just coming out to cheer\, call 617-441-7200 or visit us online at http://www.als.net/tst.\nAbout ALS\nAmyotrophic lateral sclero sis (ALS\, Lou Gehrig&rsquo\;s disease) is a progressive neurodegenerati ve disease that leads to paralysis\, due to the death of motor neurons i n the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cause\, cure or effective treatment for the disease. About 5\,000 people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year\; the incidence is similar to Multiple Sclerosis. How ever\, with no effective treatment and an aggressive and rapid disease p rogression\, the average patient survives only 2-5 years following their diagnosis. There are about 30\,000 US citizens diagnosed with the disea se at any given time. The worldwide population of ALS patients is estima ted at 400\,000.\nAbout ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI)\nThe mission of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develo p effective therapeutics that slow or stop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS\, Lou Gehrig&rsquo\;s disease) as soon as possible for patients to day. Focused on meeting this urgent unmet medical need\, ALS TDI execute s a robust target discovery program\, while simultaneously operating the world&rsquo\;s largest efforts to preclinically validate potential ther apeutics\; including a pipeline of dozens of small molecules\, protein b iologics\, gene therapies and cell-based constructs. The world&rsquo\;s first nonprofit biotech institute\, ALS TDI has developed an industrial- scale platform\, employs 30 professional scientists and evaluates dozens of potential therapeutics each year. Built by and for patients\, the Ca mbridge\, Massachusetts based research institute collaborates with leade rs in both academia and industry to accelerate ALS therapeutic developme nt\, including Biogen Idec\, UCB\, Aestus Therapeutics\, MDA and RGK Fou ndation. For more information\, please visit us online at www.als.net.\n  \;\n# \; # \; # \; URL:http://tiverton.patch.com/events/tri-state-trek-to-benefit-als-tdi-d0 619f22 SUMMARY:Tri-State Trek to benefit ALS TDI LOCATION:300 Technology Sq\, Cambridge\, MA 02139: 300 Technology Sq\, Ca mbridge\, MA END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR