# patient advocacy

Facing Down ALS: The Last Campaign of China’s Patient-Driven Researcher Cai Lei

Cai Lei, an ALS patient and research organiser in China, remains a central figure in nationwide efforts to push amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research forward despite being in the terminal stage of his illness. Through patient registries, international collaborations, and a high‑profile push for post‑mortem tissue donation, he is building infrastructure that could materially accelerate domestic ALS science even if he does not live to see a cure.