ALS is a disease that impairs people's physical abilities and the muscles needed to move, speak, and breathe.

Now, by using new technology like AI, EverythingALS, can use people's voices to detect the progression of the disease. The data can be used to move clinical trials forward, and help with early diagnosis.

"The way I look at it, as technology is here today. We can make an impact to people with ALS today. So, what we are doing is we're looking at these progression markers and applying this to clinical trials that's happening today. So, we work with about 11 pharma companies that partnered with us on this initiative," Founder and CEO of EverythingALS Indu Navar said. 

Navar knows all too well the importance of an early diagnosis.

"I lost my husband to ALS. I'm a tech entrepreneur, and what we realized was we came up close and personal to understanding how long it takes to diagnose the disease — any neurodegenerative disease, and especially ALS. . . it takes about 12 to 18 months or sometimes 24 months to get diagnosed " Navar said.

The non-profit's now conducting studies, and they need people with ALS to participate. Navar said all you need is a phone and wi-fi.

"We study each one of them and we have a study, active study going on where we are asking for ALS patients to enroll in, which actually looks at speech, walking, and breathing all three together," Navar said.

As a control group, Navar says people without ALS are needed for the study too, and the more involvement and awareness could change lives.

"we want everybody to participate and more awareness, the better it is. You know, it's kind of, it's time for all hands-on deck. So that's why we call it citizen driven research with open innovation," Navar said.