ALS Alert mastheadALS Alert mastheadFall 2002 - Science. Scope. Speed

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In This Issue:

New Drug Screen: Uncle Sam’s Grand Present
Late this summer, 12 potential new ALS drugs—a jaw-dropping number—made their way into the Center’s first stages of animal testing thanks to an unusual project linking Center scientists and researchers across the country.

Center Scientist Eyes Key Step in Cells’ ‘Death March’
A current hot spot in als research centers on something long ignored as a source of trouble in the disease: the mitochondria. The plentiful, often jellybean-shaped cell bodies are dubbed the cell’s powerhouses because they generate most of its energy.

Accentuate the Positive
Some Center scientists, eying a cure, seek the cause of ALS. Others study how it damages cells. But a third group’s work may lessen immediate misery: They’re learning the basics of damage control and repair.

The Aggregate Dilemma: Too Obvious to Ignore
For years, scientists have noted obvious clumps of protein in motor neurons of patients with both sporadic and inherited forms of ALS—those who have a mutated gene for the SOD1 enzyme.

A Wedding to Remember
“I’ve come to realize what good friends are. People you knew but didn’t know have become friends. There’s a depth to it I hadn’t experienced before.”

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With ALS Support, It’s Never ‘Too Many Cooks’

photo - Chef Radits rules at the Breakers.  
Chef Radits rules at the Breakers
   

There’s something mystical about food, something that draws people together, whether they’re eating or preparing it, like nothing else. Perhaps that’s the tie that first bound Matthias Radits to the several hundred chefs, wine stewards, servers, managers, decorators, food procurers, farmers, publicists and kitchen staff of all stations who’ve served with him. As culinary director of The Breakers, Palm Beach’s famous resort, Radits’ love of cooking, of food and of sharing it has become the stuff of local legend. He’s sparked a cottage industry of food suppliers across the nation—organic lamb from Colorado, tiny oysters from Maryland—to stock its five restaurants. He’s guided high schoolers to become chefs and imbued colleagues with a passion to try the unusual.

It’s no wonder, then, that when “Chef” learned, just over a year ago, that he has ALS, his network of friends suffered too, according to Kevin Walters, vice president of food and beverage at the hotel. “We all felt this overwhelming sense of helplessness,” Walters explains. “We needed to show how much we cared.

“So about five of us who work with Chef on a daily basis put our heads together and decided on a fund-raiser, something to help ALS research. Of course, there was never any doubt that it would involve food!”

A short six weeks later, “The Great Chefs’ Event for a Great Chef” took place in an elegant ballroom of The Breakers. “The response was incredible,” says Walters. “We were swamped with work, but we fed off each others’ excitement and that gave us the energy it took. We thought, maybe, a dozen restaurants would participate, but in the end, we shut it off at 32! And it was a beautiful event. The food was awesome. Chef’s friends—450 of them—showed up en masse to support him. He was blown away! Everyone gathered around in a huge celebration of friendship that also managed to raise $65,000 for research. I don’t mean to sound hokey,” Walters adds, “but it really was a love fest.”

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Special Features:

Vantage point
What, exactly, does ALS do to motor neuron cells? In this issue, several of our articles feature the Center’s efforts to answer that crucial question.

On Center: New Name and ‘Wings’ Give Center Zing
Put 1,700 Wall Street investment bankers, ALS patients and supporters in one of the New York Marriott Marquis’ grand ballrooms, add hors d’oeuvres and some Hollywood “biggies” and you have this year’s Wings Over Wall Street.

Insider’s View
Nicholas Maragakis, M.D., is a Hopkins neurologist/researcher who specializes in neuromuscular diseases. In this column he answers questions.

From the Clinic
Lora Clawson, M.S.N., C.R.N.P., manages Johns Hopkins’ ALS clinic. She also oversees its clinical trials. In this column she answers typical patients’ questions.

A Friend Indeed
With ALS Support, It’s Never ‘Too Many Cooks’

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