Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS Awards 2025 Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji & Family Student Scholar for Repair and Regenerative Mechanisms in ALS Award to Cedric Böger

The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS is pleased to announce that Cedric Böger, a PhD student at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), has been awarded the 3rd annual Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji & Family Student Scholar for Repair and Regenerative Mechanisms in ALS. This prize is possible through the generosity of Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji and the Lalji family’s foundation, ALS Heroes. Merit Cudkowicz, MD, MSc, Director of the Healey & AMG Center for ALS, presented the prize to Cedric at the 24th Annual NEALS Consortium Meeting.

The award was founded in 2023 in honor of Dr. Ayeez Lalji, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2017 and lived courageously and valiantly. This award aims to recognize the brightest young scientists in the field of ALS, and to facilitate meaningful research to understand the mechanisms underlying axonal and neuronal repair and regeneration in ALS and/or other neurodegenerative disorders that may be translatable to ALS.

"My family and I are so proud of the work that Cedric Böger and his team are doing,” says Dr. Shelena Lalji. “Our goal is to find a cure for this devastating disease in the very near future and save thousands of families the heartache and loss that we have experienced. If we all work together, we can certainly hope to make this a reality in our lifetimes. Keep up the great work!"

Cedric is a PhD student studying Neurobiology at the Laboratory for Axon Growth and Regeneration and Bradke lab at the DZNE. He previously studied Neurobiology in Aachen and completed his Master’s training at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he worked on gene therapies and CRISPR screens for rare neurodegenerative disorders.

Under the supervision of his mentor, Dr. Frank Bradke, Cedric is recognized as the Lalji Student Scholar for his project, "Targeting Microtubule Retrograde Flow to Drive Axon Regeneration in ALS.” Cedric’s project will image microtubule retrograde flow (MT RF) live in injured motor neurons and in ALS models. He will investigate whether boosting doublecortin - a natural microtubule-actin crosslinker - can stall degeneration by stabilizing the cytoskeleton and thus drive rapid axon regrowth. By halting MT RF after injury and reinforcing cytoskeletal stability, doublecortin may transform retraction bulbs into regrowing axons. This work directly targets the engine of axon repair, offering a novel, translatable approach to revive motor neuron outgrowth and slow ALS progression.

“I’m incredibly grateful for this award and the chance to continue exploring how we can help damaged motor neurons to regrow in ALS and related diseases,” says Cedric. “With this support, I hope to understand better if and how stabilizing the cell’s inner structures can turn degeneration into regeneration and, ultimately, open new paths towards treating ALS.”

“It is always inspiring to see young scientists like Cedric dedicating their efforts to ALS research and searching for breakthroughs in the field,” says Dr. Cudkowicz. “Congratulations to Cedric and thank you to Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji for their transformative gift that enables student research.” This award is available to undergraduate, graduate, or summer students focused on studying mechanisms of axonal repair, neuronal repair and regeneration applicable to ALS and/or other neurodegenerative disorders. The students must be conducting research, under the direction of a mentor.

For more information on the Drs. Ayeez and Shelena Lalji & Family Student Scholar for Repair and Regenerative Mechanisms in ALS, please visit this page. For more information on the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS, please visit our website.

Background on ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most prevalent adult-onset progressive motor neuron disease, affecting approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. and an estimated 500,000 people worldwide. ALS causes the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy. There is an urgent need to understand the biology of ALS and to develop effective therapies.

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.

About 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.

Learn more about ALS Heroes here.