New ALS Study Conducted by UM Professor
by Caser
According to annarbor.com, a new study will be the first to use human stem cells to treat patients with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The study is being conducted in part by a University of Michigan neurologist, Eva Feldman. Through funding approved by the FDA, the study will be held at Emory University in Atlanta. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is "a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord." It is often fatal and has no known cure at this time.
When Lou Gehrig began showing symptoms of ALS in 1938, little was known about how to treat patients with the disease, and less about the cause of it. In 1939, Gehrig, a two time MVP, six time World Series champion, record setter for most consecutive games played (2,130), and lifetime .340 batter, benched himself early that season due to extreme muscle fatigue. He would never play baseball again. Gehrig retired that year, delivering one of the most powerful sports speeches ever recorded, stating that he was "the luckiest man on the face of this earth." Two years later, the man nicknamed "The Iron Horse" died in his home in New York City at the age of 37.
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