ALS Alert - Robert Packard Center for ALS Research

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In This Issue:

Celebrex: Let the Trials Begin
It’s good for arthritis, it’s under study for Alzheimer’s, and last month, national trials got under way exploring the anti-inflammation drug Celebrex as a possible ALS therapy. At the Center for ALS Research and 24 other sites, volunteers in early stages of the disease have begun receiving daily high doses.

Sponging Up Glutamate? Good Idea
A new study by Center scientist Margaret Sutherland, Ph.D., not only shores up a long-held idea on a major source of cell damage in ALS but also shows something can be done to fix it, at least in mice.

An Eye on the Shore
Centerwide stem cell research keeps hopes afloat in its early stages. But so far, every study answers questions that lead to more.

The New Rat Model: Bigger Is Better
A new rat model of the disease that’s far easier to work with and more versatile than earlier mouse models.

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About ALS Alert

Being resourceful

The Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins
http://www.alscenter.org

Present and past editions of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS Newsletter:
http://www.mdausa.org/publications/als/index.html

Web site of the ALS Association (ALSA):
http://www.alsa.org

The ALS Survival Guide, a helpful Web site from an ALS patient:
http://alssurvivalguide.com

The Web site of Ride for Life:
http://www.rideforlife.com

Web site from Project ALS:
http://www.projectals.org

ALS Links, an internet portal for the ALS community:
http://www.alslinks.com

The Center for Outcomes Research:
http://www.umassmed.edu/outcomes

International Alliance of ALS/MND
Associations:
http://www.alsmndalliance.org

Next > About ALS Alert

Special Features:

Vantage point
One of the most satisfying things about directing the Center has been watching the shift in our thinking about the biology of ALS.

On Center: Fund-Raisers’ Bounty Keeps Center on Track
It’s a rare foundation that doesn’t have to depend on fund raising. With the Center for ALS Research, dedicated as it is to a high volume and a rapid turnout of lab results, benefits and such events are crucial. But even for this stepped-up place, the pace has been fast.

Insider’s View
Daniel Drachman, M.D., is a longtime 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: Orioles Hit Home Runs for ALS
With the Orioles and ALS research, the connection was serendipity. Everything just fell into place the summer of 1995, when Oriole great Cal Ripken was on the verge of breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-games-
played record.

Being resourceful
Links to useful information