BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID;X-RICAL-TZSOURCE=TZINFO:-//com.denhaven2/NONSGML ri_cal gem//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:Press Release\nMedia Contact:\nMari Sullivan\, Public Relatio ns Manager\, ALS TDI\, 617-441-7220\, msullivan@als.net\nFor Immediate R elease\nALS TDI Tri-State Trek Celebrates 10th Anniversary\nThe annual t hree day\, 270 mile bike ride continues its commitment to fund research to end ALS\nCambridge\, MA &ndash\; April 23\, 2012 &ndash\; The ALS The rapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) Tri-State Trek is celebrating its 1 0th anniversary this year. A three-day\, 270 mile bike ride from Boston to Greenwich\, CT\, the Trek raises money and awareness to end amyotroph ic lateral sclerosis (ALS)\, better known as Lou Gehrig&rsquo\;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\;Over the years th is event has brought so many great people together &ndash\; from those w ho know someone with ALS or have lost someone to the disease to those wh o come to support the cause. Watching a loved one suffer through ALS lea ves family and friends feeling helpless. Riders\, crew and supporters of ALS TDI&rsquo\;s Tri-State Trek feel like they&rsquo\;re doing somethin g that weekend. It&rsquo\;s an unbelievable feeling. We ride to support one another and raise money so that one day\, no one has to die from ALS .&rdquo\;\nThe 10th anniversary three-day Tri-State Trek will take place July 20-22\, 2012. It will start in Newton\, MA\, on Friday\, July 20\, and finish in Greenwich\, CT\, on Sunday\, July 22. The route passes th rough 52 communities and includes 12 rest stops\, two lunch stops and tw o overnight stays. Cyclists can ride all or part of the route and partic ipate all three days\, one of the three days or any two-day combination. In addition\, volunteers and crew are needed and encouraged to particip ate throughout the three days.\nSince 2003\, the Trek has grown from 16 cyclists to more than 260 riders in 2011. The event has raised more than $2.6 million for ALS TDI\, a nonprofit biotechnology institute in Cambr idge\, MA\, dedicated to developing effective therapies as soon as possi ble for people with ALS today.\n&ldquo\;The 10th anniversary ride is bot h a celebratory event and a sobering reminder of how devastating a disea se ALS still is to people today\,&rdquo\; says Steve Perrin\, Ph.D.\, CE O 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 involved in this event plays a crucial role in helping ALS TDI to advance potential trea tments for ALS toward the clinic as quickly as possible for patients tod ay.&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.\n \;\nAbout ALS\nAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS\, Lou Gehrig&rsquo\;s disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative di sease that leads to paralysis\, due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cause\, cure or effective trea tment for the disease. About 5\,000 people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year\; the incidence is similar to Multiple Sclerosis. However\ , with no effective treatment and an aggressive and rapid disease progre ssion\, the average patient survives only 2-5 years following their diag nosis. There are about 30\,000 US citizens diagnosed with the disease at any given time. The worldwide population of ALS patients is estimated a t 400\,000.\nAbout ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI)\nThe miss ion of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develop eff ective therapeutics that slow or stop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS \, Lou Gehrig&rsquo\;s disease) as soon as possible for patients today. Focused on meeting this urgent unmet medical need\, ALS TDI executes a r obust target discovery program\, while simultaneously operating the worl d&rsquo\;s largest efforts to preclinically validate potential therapeut ics\; including a pipeline of dozens of small molecules\, protein biolog ics\, 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 p otential therapeutics each year. Built by and for patients\, the Cambrid ge\, Massachusetts based research institute collaborates with leaders in both academia and industry to accelerate ALS therapeutic development\, including Biogen Idec\, UCB\, Aestus Therapeutics\, MDA and RGK Foundati on. For more information\, please visit us online at www.als.net.\n  \;\n# \; # \; # \; URL:http://braintree.patch.com/events/tri-state-trek-to-benefit-als-tdi-7 ffd8e34 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