ALS Alert - Robert Packard Center for ALS Research

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Winter 2002 - Science. Scope. Speed

ALS Center Web Site
Research
People and Events

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.

Available Issues:

Winter 2001/2002
Fall 2002
Spring 2003
Fall 2003
Spring 2004
Fall 2004
Winter 2005
Spring/Summer 2005
Fall 2005
Winter 2006

About ALS Alert

About ALS Alert

The Robert Packard Center for ALS Research
at Johns Hopkins
600 N. Wolfe Street, Meyer 6-109
Baltimore, MD 21287
410-502-7677
Fax: 410-955-0672
E-mail: alscenter@jhmi.edu

ALS Alert is published by the Office of Corporate Communications, Elaine Freeman, executive director. It is distributed to the scientific community, patients and friends of the center.

Some of the research in this newsletter has corporate ties. For full disclosure information, call the office of Policy Coordination at 410-516-5560.

© The Johns Hopkins University 2004.

Jeffrey D. Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, The Robert Packard Center for ALS Research.

John Griffin, M.D.
Director, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Edith R. Nichols, Director of Publications.

Marjorie Centofanti, Editor.

Maxwell Boam, Designer.

Keith Weller, Photography.

Editorial Office
550 North Broadway, Suite 1100
Baltimore, MD 21205-2011

You can submit questions by E-mailing the editor, mcentofanti@jhmi.edu

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

© Copyright 2002 | All Rights Reserved | Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins
600 N. Wolfe Street, Meyer 6-109, Baltimore, Maryland 21287-5953 USA