Diane Winokur is a true champion. Even in her mid-80’s, she not only speaks with confidence about her hope for the future of ALS, but she is continuing her advocacy for this disease with relentless strength. I mean, how many 80 year olds do you know who can courageously pour a bucket of ice on
Imagine a high school, with 1,000 students. But all of them are deathly sick; their limbs are failing, the muscles growing weak; they are all becoming paralyzed, and will die in 3-5 years. Now imagine thirty-two such schools, with everybody diagnosed with ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease. This is no horror
Let’s talk clinical trials, ALS, and California funding for stem cell research
Thanks to funding from Proposition 71, California’s $3 billion investment in stem cell research, and the state funding entity it created, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), there are now 36 human clinical trials in various stages of progress, including a trial for ALS. Condition: ALS Accepting Applicants: No Status: Phases 1/2a trials in progress Description: Clinical
ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that damages and destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. But with the support of CIRM, researchers are working to develop ways to slow or halt this disease.
Neural stem cells can be engineered to secrete supportive molecules to the cells that are malfunctioning in ALS. Scientists can use stem cells to protect surviving nerve cells in ALS patients and prevent further degeneration.
