Fernando G. Vieira, M.D. is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer at the ALS Therapy Development Institute where he leads a multidisciplinary team of scientists and researchers in their efforts to discover treatments and biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He has been working in ALS research since 2001. Dr. Vieira studied biological engineering at the University of Florida and medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has been awarded numerous patents for the invention of potential therapeutics for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. His research findings, spanning preclinical, basic, clinical, and translational ALS research, have been published in dozens of peer-reviewed journals including Nature Genetics and Science Translational Medicine. His publications have been cited more than 1000 times. Fernando is a proud father and enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and running with his son. "The essential thing 'in heaven and earth' is, apparently, that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living." –Friedrich Nietzche