Les Turner Symposium on ALS

Monday, Nov. 4, 2024

Now in its 14th year, the Les Turner Symposium on ALS will return to Chicago this fall.

Join virtually or in person as leading ALS researchers, clinicians, advocates, and people living with ALS gather to discuss the latest research and perspectives on ALS.

It's an opportunity to ask questions, share insights, and engage with people striving to deliver the best possible ALS care — and it's a window into the future of treatment of the disease.

Location:
Feinberg Pavilion
Feinberg Krumlovsky Atrium
251 E Huron St. 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60611

Parking Information

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About our Speakers


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Keynote Speaker : Angela Genge, MD, FRCP(C)

Advances in ALS Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Angela Genge, MD, is internationally recognized for her work in clinical trial design and development for rare neurological conditions, with an emphasis on ALS/MND. She has served as director of the ALS Global Center of Excellence and ALS Clinic at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital since 1998. In 2023 she stepped down from her twenty-year tenure as executive director of the Institute’s clinical research unit, where, under her direction, it evolved into the most active neuroscience unit in the country, conducting over 100 clinical trials from Phase 1 to Phase 4. She developed a Phase 1 unit dedicated to neurological diseases, the ALS Global Center of Excellence, and ACCESS ALS, all of which fuel the drug discovery pipeline and accelerate the development of new therapies for rare and terminal neurological diseases. Angela serves as the global principal investigator for AL-S Pharma, as well as sits on numerous advisory boards and data and safety monitoring boards. She previously served as a distinguished clinical investigator for Novartis Global.

Angela advocates tirelessly for therapeutic innovation in neuroscience and access to therapeutics for the rare disease community. Throughout her career, she has received awards in recognition of her exceptional care and management of ALS studies and patients including being named the first international recipient of the 2023 Wings Over Wallstreet Diamond Award, the 2018 Forbes Norris Award, the DIVA of Distinction Award, the YMCA Woman of the Year Award, and the Governor General Diamond Jubilee Award. She completed her medical degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland and earned a B.Sc. from Dalhousie University. A fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Canada), Angela completed her Canadian and American certifications in internal medicine and neurology at McGill University prior to completing a fellowship in neuromuscular diseases at the Montreal Neurological Institute.


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Pietro Fratta, MD

Cryptic Splicing: From Foe to Friend in Tackling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Pietro Fratta, MD, ia professor of cellular and molecular neuroscience at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the Francis Crick Institute. His research centers on motor neuron diseases and RNA biology His laboratory uses sequencing and visualization tools to understand disease mechanisms in patient derived tissue, iPS cells, and mouse models


David Gate

David Gate, PhD

 Immune System Alteration in ALS

David Gate, PhD, is a genomicist with a background in neuroimmunology. Dr. Gate’s work focuses on the intersection of the brain and immune system in ALS. His laboratory employs multi-omics strategies to interpret immune system changes related to ALS. His group is particularly interested in the interplay between neurons and inflammatory immune cells.



Lindsay Hayes

Lindsey Hayes, MD, PhD

RNA-Based Regulation of TDP-43 Nuclear Localization

Lindsey Hayes, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Brain Science Institute. She is a physician-scientist who specializes in neuromuscular disorders including ALS. Her laboratory studies the disruption of RNA and protein trafficking in neurodegeneration with a focus on TDP-43. Her laboratory employs cellular and molecular techniques to analyze mechanisms that regulate TDP-43 localization and function, to inform understanding of disease mechanisms and as a platform for preclinical therapy development.  



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Robert G. Kalb, MD

Targeting the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Robert G. Kalb, MD, is the Joan and Paul Rubschlager Professor, Chief of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, and Director of the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern Medicine. His laboratory studies the basic mechanisms underpinning ALS using genetically engineered mice, primary neuron culture, c.elegans, and yeast disease models. His work has focused on the fundamental molecular processes that go awry during disease Dr. Kalb’s group discovered that derangement of energy metabolism is a key contributor to neuronal death in models of ALS. The Kalb Lab is passionately committed to bending the arc of disease and finding a cure for ALS through innovative and collaborative research. 


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Hande Özdinler, PhD

TDP-43 Pathology in the ALS Motor Cortex

Hande Özdinler, PhD, is an associate professor of neurology (neuromuscular disease) at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineShe is a faculty member at the Les Turner ALS Center, Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, and Chemistry of Life Processes Institute at Northwestern UniversityDr. Ozdinler’s research aims to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for selective vulnerability and progressive degeneration, with special interest in upper motor neurons. The Özdinler lab is currently working towards developing drug discovery platforms that incorporate upper motor neuron health as a read-out, and towards the identification of target engagement and pharmacokinetic biomarkers that can be utilized in the upcoming clinical trials, including patients with upper motor neuron loss.   


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Marco Martina, MD, PhD

Cell Type-Specific Alterations of Cortical Excitability in a Model of Familial ALS

Marco Martina, MD, PhD, is a professor of neuroscience at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and has investigated the functional and pharmacological properties of ion channels for nearly 25 years. In particular, his expertise concerns the impact of individual ion channel types on action potential generation and propagation, the role of dendrites in synaptic integration, and the properties and modulation of GABAA currents.    

The main focus of the Martina laboratory is to determine how alterations in intrinsic and synaptic neuronal properties affect the function of brain networks in different disease conditions, including chronic pain and degenerative diseases like ataxia and ALS.   

Dr. Martina has also contributed to the first characterization of the cellular pathology of corticospinal motor neuron in an alsin knockout mouse, a rodent model of genetic ALS, and to the characterization of the electrophysiological dysfunction of upper motor neurons of SODG93A mice. 


Clinical Conversations Panel

Join us for an engaging afternoon discussion on the latest in ALS care and clinical research, from the perspectives of a clinician and people with lived experiences of ALS. By uniting the expertise of specialists in fields like pulmonology, nutrition, and social work, multidisciplinary care is making a difference in the quality of life and health of people living with ALS and their caregivers.

The Lois Insolia ALS Clinic at the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern Medicine has a comprehensive multidisciplinary team and is actively involved in multi-center drug trials and other clinical research. In this panel, you’ll learn how clinicians and people with lived experience of ALS are shaping the future of multidisciplinary care, research, and community support. There will also be opportunities to ask questions about the latest advancements in these fields.


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Dr. Senda Ajroud-Driss

Senda Ajroud-Driss, MD, is a professor in the Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Driss received her medical degree from The Medical School of Tunis, Tunisia, then completed her neurology residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a neuromuscular fellowship at Northwestern. She is board-certified in neurology and in neuromuscular medicine and has been treating patients with ALS in the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic for nearly 20 years. Dr. Driss also leads the Les Turner ALS Center’s clinical trial program and Scientific Advisory Board Member for Northeast Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Consortium.  

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Melissa Diaz-Viera, LCSW

Melissa Diaz-Viera, LCSW, joined the Les Turner ALS Foundation’s Support Services Committee in 2024. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she brings years of experience in helping others navigate difficult life circumstances within complex systems, as well as a strong passion for advocacy, community support and collaborative care. Since her ALS diagnosis in 2023, Melissa has been involved in multiple groups within the ALS Community including Her ALS Story. She has contributed to research through participation in multiple observational studies and clinical trials. Melissa currently serves as a NEALS Research Ambassador and is the Research Operations Coordinator for Project ALS. 

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Angela Genge, MD, FRCP(C)

Angela Genge, MD, is internationally recognized for her work in clinical trial design and development for rare neurological conditions, with an emphasis on ALS/MND. She has served as director of the ALS Global Center of Excellence and ALS Clinic at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital since 1998. In 2023 she stepped down from her twenty-year tenure as executive director of the Institute’s clinical research unit, where, under her direction, it evolved into the most active neuroscience unit in the country, conducting over 100 clinical trials from Phase 1 to Phase 4. She developed a Phase 1 unit dedicated to neurological diseases, the ALS Global Center of Excellence, and ACCESS ALS, all of which fuel the drug discovery pipeline and accelerate the development of new therapies for rare and terminal neurological diseases. Angela serves as the global principal investigator for AL-S Pharma, as well as sits on numerous advisory boards and data and safety monitoring boards. She previously served as a distinguished clinical investigator for Novartis Global.

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Kelly Goodman

Kelly Goodmanjoined the Les Turner ALS Foundation’s Support Services Committee in 2024. She was first introduced to the Les Turner ALS Foundation when her husband Jason was diagnosed with ALS in 2017. Kelly cared for Jason throughout his illness, and she learned many of the needed caregiver skills from the clinic. After 26 years of marriage, and having ALS for 6 years, Jason passed away in March 2023. Kelly is the Director of Treasury and Business Services at Terlato Wine Group in Lake Bluff and has been working there for 25 years. She is also a member of the Foundation’s Gratitude Group.


Lauren Webb

Moderator: Lauren Webb, LCSW

Lauren Webb, LCSW, Chief Advocacy and Outreach Officer, Les Turner ALS Foundation is dedicated to forging links between policymaking and service delivery, so patients and families receive not just care, but hope. With a master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago, she has worked in the neuromuscular community for over 20 years, providing direct patient care, coordinating clinical trials, and overseeing the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s nationwide Care Center Network. At the Les Turner ALS Foundation, she leads efforts to provide innovative, compassionate support services with emphasis on health literacy, health equity, and patient-centered care.

Les Turner ALS Foundation


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