Since 1977, the Les Turner ALS Foundation has been Chicagoland's leader in patient services, research, and education for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and other motor neuron diseases (MND).
The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) is conducting a research study to determine what changes occur in the muscles of the arm with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Participants will be asked to sit in a chair while either relaxing or contracting different muscles of the arm while electrodes monitor the muscle activity. The study is open to both male and female participants with a diagnosis of ALS.
For additional information, download the study announcement, or contact Emily Case at (312) 238-1560 or ecase1@ric.org.
The 2012 Patient Education Forum will be held on Sunday, April 29, at the Marriott Chicago O'Hare, 8535 West Higgins Road, Chicago. The featured speaker will be Dr. Jack Kessler, Chairman of the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The Patient, Volunteer and Junior Volunteer of the Year will also be recognized at this event. More details will be forthcoming.
A new study from Foundation researcher Dr. Teepu Siddique and his team has identified a faulty protein pathway as a common cause of all forms of ALS, the first time a common cause has been identified. In addition, Dr. Siddique and team have published a second paper identifying another contributor to this faulty pathway. Please click to read full coverage of this important discovery. Many thanks to our wonderful donors and friends who share in the progress we've made thus far. Your generosity has made this possible!
In November, the Foundation was part of the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations annual meetings in Sydney, Australia. Please visit the MND research blog to read through the highlights and find out about some of the new research presented there.
The Les Turner/Lois Insolia ALS Center is one of 82 sites worldwide participating in the Biogen Idec EMPOWER study, a multi-national Phase III study evaluating the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of dexpramipexole in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The enrollment phase is complete and the trial is in progress. For additional information, visit the National Institutes of Health website, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Questions on these or our other latest happenings? Please contact us and we'll be happy to help! You can also join our email list to receive our monthly e-newsletter. We'll bring all this info--and more--right to your inbox.
Registration for the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon is now open. Don't wait to register! The race will sell out in a few weeks. Register for the race at the Chicago Marathon website then visit our Run4ALS page to join our team, or to find out about other races on our 2012 schedule.
Thanks to our thousands of dedicated walkers, the ALS Walk4Life has grown far beyond what we could have imagined. We are thrilled to announce a new date and new location that will keep the ALS Walk4Life growing and thriving. NEW DATE! Saturday, September 22. NEW LOCATION! Soldier Field in Chicago. Please visit our Walk4Life page to learn more about the changes and about our upcoming kick-off events.
Our 2012 Lou Gehrig Day at Wrigley Field will be Saturday, July 14. Mark your calendars now! The pre-party will be held at The Vic Theatre (3145 N. Sheffield Ave) from 12:30pm to 2:30pm. As always, the party will feature unlimited food and drink, an exciting live auction emceed by WXRT's Lin Brehmer, and a few other surprises. The party then moves to Wrigley Field for a 3:05pm game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Tickets will go on sale later this spring. Visit our Lou Gehrig Day page for more information.
Tables and individual tickets are now available for purchase for our 25th Annual Hope Through Caring Award Dinner. This year's dinner honors the Family of A. William Haarlow III: Lynne, Laurel and Bill, and Lauren and Blair Haarlow. Please visit our Hope Through Caring Dinner page for more information.
It's not too early to start thinking about Tag Days! We are currently recruiting captains and volunteers for drives held throughout Illinois during May 2012. Please visit our Tag Days page for more information.
Chris Benyo has trained for dozens of marathons, but he is preparing for a challenge unlike any he's undertaken before. Chris will be pushing his wife, Denise, in the New Jersey Marathon in May 2012. Denise was also an avid runner before being diagnosed with ALS in 2010.
They are hoping to raise $26,200--$1,000 for each mile of the marathon. Please consider making a donation in honor of Chris and Denise. Or, you can join them! The Run4ALS team will be at the New Jersey Marathon along with them. What a great opportunity to see the Atlantic Ocean while raising funds for ALS. Register today!