Alex Parker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Université de Montréal, a researcher at the Research Institute of the Université de Montreal Hospital Center, and a cofounder of Modelis. Alex is a medical geneticist by training with an interest in late-onset neurodegenerative diseases. He uses the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans to construct simple genetic models of these diseases and then confirms his findings in mice. A major focus in his successful academic career has been the development of models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) for use in drug discovery and development. These studies have led the way to identify new therapeutic targets and strategies directly usable in patients. Among them, a drug discovered in his lab was proven successful in a clinical trial for ALS.