Northern Neuron - Researchers and Profiles

The ALS Society of Canada is thrilled to announce the creation of the Ronald Peter Griggs Memorial Postdoctoral Fellowship in ALS Research. The Griggs Fellowship will be awarded to three post-doctora ◊

TORONTO, July 9, 2009- The ALS Society of Canada is pleased to announce the four recipients of the 2009 Neuromuscular Research Partnership (NRP) grants. Recipients will receive funding for their proje ◊

Denise Figlewicz, PhD, was promoted to Vice President Research at the ALS Society of Canada on May 11, 2009. ◊

The ALS Society of Canada has awarded the 2008 Bernice Ramsay Discovery Grants in ALS Research to Avi Chakrabartty, PhD, and Alex Parker, PhD. Their projects are titled “Composition of ALS pathologica ◊

Tim E. Noël’s philosophy of life was simple: “Today is a gift. That's why they call it the present. And you should never let the thieves of yesterday or tomorrow rob you of that gift.” Diagnosed with ◊

Teresa Sanelli, PhD, is the 2008 recipient of The ALS Association’s Milton Safenowitz Post-doctoral Fellowship for ALS Research, the only fellowship of its kind in the United States. A researcher of t ◊

Canadian scientist Jean-Pierre Julien presented new evidence that a mutant protein associated with some inherited forms of ALS may be secreted outside cells and act in a toxic manner, providing insigh ◊

In recognition of his article entitled “Quantitative measurement of neurodegeneration in an ALS-PDC model using MR microscopy”, University of British Columbia PhD fellow Jason Wilson has been awarded ◊

Dr. Jean-Pierre Julien, an ALS Society of Canada board member and a prominent ALS researcher at Laval University Research Centre in Quebec has been awarded a research grant from the the ALS Associatio ◊

Novartis has been conducting a Phase 2 trial with its drug TCH 346 and has advised that the drug has shown no impact on the rate of progression or survival of ALS. For more information click on www.a ◊

The ALS Society of Ontario, Champlain Region and the Rehabilitation Centre, Ottawa are pleased to announce their first one-day interactive conference for people affected by ALS: families, friends, vol ◊

Dr.Heather Durham's research, funded in part by the ALS Society is searching for new ways to augment defensive mechanisms to assist cells in defending themselves against multiple disease-causing stre ◊

New technology is allowing locked-in patients to communicate — using their brainwaves. Relax. Take a moment. Keep your eyes open and focus on a single spot. ◊

Veterans who were deployed to the Gulf War may be developing a higher rate of ALS. New research into the occurrence of ALS in American veterans deployed to the Persian Gulf during the 1991 Gulf War re ◊

When ALS clinician and researcher Dr. John Turnbull gave his patient, Elizabeth Grandbois, HAART, she showed significant improvement. Now a clinical trial is underway to determine if and how the drug ◊

Scientists have made a fundamental discovery that could reveal a common underlying mechanism of ALS and other forms of Motor Neuron Disease (MND). The findings, from researchers in the United Kingdom ◊

Genetic sites on chromosomes 16 and 20 appear to have links to ALS. Genetic screening of four families with familial ALS (fALS) revealed a common suspect region on chromosome 16, and a link to chromos ◊

A new scientific breakthrough offers hope for an effective therapy for ALS. The gene for a nerve-nourishing protein was packaged in a viral vector and successfully delivered to the nervous systems of ◊

New Hopes and Realities. Stems cells are an important part of the future of ALS research, say scientists. But both their advantages and challenges must be kept in perspective. ◊

Good Neighbours,Bad Neighbours: Non-neuronal play an active role in ALS. A new study led by researchers at University of California demonstrates for the first time in mouse models that the cells surro ◊

Several mutations in SOD-1 have been identified in patients. But how do these mutations result in toxic proteins, and what can knowing the mutation-type tell us about the behaviour of disease? Dr. Eli ◊

Peripherin is a key protein found in the neurofilament aggregates that clog motor neurons in ALS. By searching for toxic mutations in peripherin, Dr. Janice Robertson hopes to discover the mechanisms ◊

When healthy tissues become damaged, they have surprising powers of regeneration. But do ALS-affected tissues always behave in the same way? Dr. Tessa Gordon says that when they don’t, it can provide ◊

Dr. Michael Strong is a leading ALS clinician and researcher. With help from the NRP, he is discovering the role of neurofilament aggregates in ALS pathways. ◊

Dr. Greg Ross is investigating the molecular pathways that lead to cell death in order to discover drugs that can block those pathways—and keep motor neurons alive. ◊

Animal models help researchers investigate the causes of ALS. By mutating his way through the entire mouse genome, Dr. John Roder is developing new animal models for ALS research and contributing to n ◊

Dr. Robin Michel was the first to demonstrate calcineurin’s crucial role in the growth of adult muscle. With the hope that his research in muscle signalling may lead to new therapies. Already, Mich ◊

The regulatory pathways that lead to the death of motor neurons in ALS could be the result of an imbalance of key enzymes. Dr. Charles Krieger is investigating how these enzymes contribute to cell dea ◊

Could a phytochemical found naturally in food help delay the onset of ALS? Dr. Bernhard Juurlink is using ALS mouse models to find out. ◊

Why do motor neurons die in ALS? Dr. Heather Durham and her team seek to understand the unique vulnerabilities of motor neurons in order to help them live. ◊