ADVISORY/Fran Delaney Fund to Hold 3rd Annual Golf Tournament/Auction to Raise Money for Lou Gehrig's Disease.

News Editors/Assignment Desks/Health/Medical Writers

ADVISORY...for Monday (June 9)

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2003

Local Grassroots Fundraising Effort Expected to Reach the $1M Mark at Annual Tournament

On June 9, 2003, the Fran Delaney Fund and former employees of Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) will host a golf tournament at the Stow Acres Country Club in Stow, MA to support research into a cure for Lou Gehrig's disease. This event marks a major milestone for a three year volunteer effort to raise one million research dollars and awareness for this devastating disease that claims more than 8,000 new victims every year. Both Fran Delaney, founder of the fund and ALS patient, and James Heywood, Founding Director of the ALS Therapy Development Foundation, one of the beneficiaries of the Fund's support, will attend the dinner and auction following the tournament.

Event Details

    What: 3rd Annual DIGITAL Alumni Golf Tournament/Auction to benefit
        the Fran Delaney Fund

    When: Monday, June 9, 2003, Registration: 7:30AM/Dinner & Auction:
        4:00 PM

    Where: Stow Acres County Club, 58 Randall Rd., Stow, MA

    Tickets: $700 per group of four golfers ($175 pp.) for tournament
        participation, $40 pp. for dinner and auction. Tickets are
        available at www.frandelaney.com or by calling Tricia Baglio
        at 978-356-7144. Members of the media are welcome and
        encouraged to attend. Please contact Sharon Guadagno at
        617-266-1028 or [e-mail] to reserve your ticket.

The Fran Delaney Fund is a volunteer based research fund, specifically directed toward supporting the work of ALS research laboratories working toward a cure. Proceeds from the tournament will fund research projects at the Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at Massachusetts General Hospital and The ALS Therapy Development Foundation (ALS-TDF), a Newton-based nonprofit biotechnology company searching for treatments for ALS.

About ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurological disorder that affects thousands of Americans each year, causing paralysis through the progressive death of motor neurons. Thirty thousand Americans have ALS, and 250,000 Americans alive today will eventually die from the disease. Although ALS mainly affects patients over fifty, it can strike at any age. It also strikes without warning - nine out of ten patients have no family history of the disease. Most patients die within four years of diagnosis. There currently is no known cure. Since ALS is characterized as an "orphan disease," a rare disease that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S., research relies largely on donations by individuals, foundations and corporations.

About The Fran Delaney Fund

When he was diagnosed with ALS, Fran Delaney led a wonderful life - successful Vice President at Compaq Computer, the father of three, and an avid golfer at the peak of his game. Fran and his family soon faced the sobering news that neither pharmaceutical firms nor government are motivated to invest in therapies to arrest or cure ALS. The ALS equation does not equal profit. Although 30,000 Americans have ALS, most patients die within three to five years of diagnosis. No effective treatment has been delivered since the first patient diagnosis 137 years ago. Shocked by the very limited funds available for ALS research, Fran and his family decided no treatment and no cure was an unacceptable answer. The Fran Delaney Fund was established in March 2001 with the goal of raising awareness and one million dollars for ALS research. Since that time Fran has inspired more than 400 volunteers who have contributed their time and talent to organize more than 32 awareness and fund raising events. Fran Delaney's efforts have served as a model to hundreds of other ALS families that recognize patient activism is a requirement for a cure and that they can make a difference. Although his disease is progressing, Fran continues to be deeply involved in the leadership, management and direction of the fund. To join the fight to cure ALS and contribute to The Fran Delaney Fund, visit the website at www.frandelaney.com.

About ALS-TDF

Founded in 1999, the ALS Therapy Development Foundation is dedicated to discovering and developing treatments for ALS. The non-profit biotechnology company has raised $11 million for ALS research and now runs the largest centralized drug discovery program in ALS, has collaborated with 28 for-profit companies and academic researchers to perform advanced investigations of more than 50 near-patient drugs in its laboratories. Since the launch of its in vivo drug-screening program in 2001, ALS-TDF has discovered two novel therapeutic targets and identified four lead drug candidates. In 2003, ALS-TDF will sponsor clinical trials at leading ALS clinics to help bring the most promising drug candidates closer to FDA approval. To learn more, visit the ALS-TDF website at www.als.net or call 617-796-8826.