Hop On A Cure Announces Philanthropic Commitment to Houston Methodist to Support ALS Research

ATLANTA, March 13, 2024 (Newswire.com) - A leading advocate in the fight against ALS, Hop On A Cure announced today another commitment in finding a cure — this time supporting Houston Methodist and the pioneering research under the direction of Dr. Stanley H. Appel who leads the Ann Kimball & John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics (JCCT) at Houston Methodist, a lab designed to accelerate the development of new, lifesaving treatments for a broad spectrum of conditions including neurological disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With data showing that cellular and neuroinflammation is one of the main drivers of motor neuron cell death, the research this philanthropic gift supports is using regulatory T Cells and exosomes to work within the cells to reduce inflammation caused by ALS.

Hop On A Cure was founded in 2022 by John Driskell Hopkins (Hop) and his wife Jennifer following his diagnosis with ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2021. Hopkins is a multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning founding member and songwriter of Zac Brown Band. With this rare platform in mind, Hopkins, along with his wife Jennifer, launched Hop On A Cure to increase ALS awareness and to raise funds for research and treatment of ALS, which currently has no known cure.

An internationally renowned researcher and neurologist, Dr. Appel has long been dedicated to the treatment of patients with ALS and is one of the nation's foremost experts on the disease. He has spent more than 40 years devoted to understanding the human brain. Dr. Appel is creator and director of what is now the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute's MDA/ALSA ALS Research and Clinical Center in Houston. Established in 1982, the center was the first multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to ALS patient care and research in the U.S. 

“The research being done at Houston Methodist and the progress made during Dr. Appel’s tenure has contributed to getting us closer to finding a cure for ALS,” said David Hopkins, vice president of community investments for Hop On A Cure. “We’re proud to support this work and hopeful that we’ll soon turn a major corner for the fight against ALS.”

For more information about Houston Methodist and its research and programs to help those with ALS, click here. 

About Hop On A Cure Foundation

Hop On A Cure was founded in 2022 after John Driskell Hopkins of Zac Brown Band was diagnosed with ALS. ALS is consistently one of the most underfunded diseases for research. Because of that, not much significant progress has been made since Lou Gehrig passed away from the disease in 1941. The mission of the foundation is to support research to prevent, reverse, and cure ALS while raising awareness, building a compassionate community, and unleashing the healing power of hope.

Source: Hop On A Cure