Perspective on Japan by Paul H. Gordon, MD Symposium Highlights, Yokohama Advances in research usually seem to move slowly, and patients often express frustration at how long it takes for new discoveries. It was exciting this year to see how quickly research can advance. Several projects are underway to obtain DNA samples from patients and controls. One funded by the National Institutes of Health, MDA and ALSA began collecting DNA in January 2006 and has now collected over 3400 samples. This project is being conducted at 72 Centers across the U.S. and will provide valuable resources for investigators conducting research into genetic risks for ALS. We also learned at the meeting in Yokohama that the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN), had, with the support of the MDA, Augie’s Quest and the Western ALS Study Group, obtained DNA from 3200 people, conducted the first genome wide screen in ALS, and identified 50 previously unknown genetic abnormalities in people with sporadic ALS. The study, from start to finish, took just 9 months! This breakthrough will allow researchers to study novel mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and develop assays to screen potential therapeutic agents using the newly identified genes. Revolutionary does not seem too strong a word to describe the importance of identifying 50 new genetic risks for ALS in this amount of time.