\ ALS Research \ ALS clinic lands a star: One of the world's top experts leaves Toronto
ALS clinic lands a star: One of the world's top experts leaves Toronto to head G.F. Strong unit
VANCOUVER - As of today, Vancouver's G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Hospital will be home to Canada's largest clinic for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- Lou Gehrig's disease -- and it will be headed by Dr. Neil Cashman, one of the world's leading experts in such neurodegenerative diseases.
"This is a great recruit for us and I am still pinching myself to believe we could pull this off," said Dr. Howard Feldman, who heads the University of B.C. department of neurology.
Cashman is to be named the Canada research chair in neurodegeneration and protein misfolding diseases. He will move here from Toronto.
Cashman's recruitment stems from the retirement of Dr. Andrew Eisen, who was the director of the ALS clinic at Vancouver Hospital.
"When Andy reached the age of retirement, we realized that to maintain international stature in ALS , we would have to reconceptualize the program with innovation," said Feldman. In addition to building new laboratory space for Cashman at UBC, various agencies, including Vancouver coastal health, the Vancouver General Hospital-UBC Foundation and private donors to the ALS Society helped fund the new clinic, which will amalgamate all services for ALS patients.
In ALS , a motor neuron disease, nerves involved in muscular activity weaken and waste. Symptoms can start with weakness or twitching in fingers or limbs, stiffness and muscle cramps.
There are about 500 patient visits per year to the clinic and about 400 B.C. residents living with ALS . The lifetime risk of developing ALS is said to be one in 1,000, similar to the lifetime risk of developing multiple sclerosis. People who are diagnosed with MS can have normal life expectancies, however, while 80 per cent of those with ALS die within five years, Cashman said in an interview.
"My record with an ALS patient was 33 years. Some patients are turtles and some are rabbits," he said, referring to life expectancy.
"Generally, it's a rapidly progressive, paralysing disease which doesn't affect patients' mental functions, so it's like being party to seeing yourself disintegrate," he said.
There are virtually no effective treatments for ALS except for a drug called riluzole which has a modest effect in delaying the progression of the disease, but only for about six months. One of Cashman's early-phase scientific studies in a small number of human patients involves using a solution that stimulates the growth of patients' own stem cells in bone marrow.
"Getting the stem cells to be released from bone marrow to enter the circulatory system so they can migrate to damaged tissues is the goal," said Cashman, cautioning that the study results are still being analysed.
ALS patients are thrilled with Cashman's recruitment and the new clinic.
"The merger of the VGH clinic with the one at G.F. Strong is wonderful, and getting Dr. Cashman, who is highly respected around the world, is a huge bonus," said Abbotsford resident Ron Martens, who has lived with ALS for eight years.
pfayerman@png.canwest.com
dtSearch 6.05 (6146)
|
|
Click Here For A Printer Friendly Version Of This Page
ALS clinic lands a star: One of the world's top experts leaves Toronto
| PUBLICATION: | Vancouver Sun |
| DATE: | 2005.03.23 |
| EDITION: | Final |
| SECTION: | WestCoast News |
| PAGE: | B4 |
| BYLINE: | Pamela Fayerman |
| SOURCE: | Vancouver Sun |
| DATELINE: | VANCOUVER |
ALS clinic lands a star: One of the world's top experts leaves Toronto to head G.F. Strong unit
VANCOUVER - As of today, Vancouver's G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Hospital will be home to Canada's largest clinic for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- Lou Gehrig's disease -- and it will be headed by Dr. Neil Cashman, one of the world's leading experts in such neurodegenerative diseases.
"This is a great recruit for us and I am still pinching myself to believe we could pull this off," said Dr. Howard Feldman, who heads the University of B.C. department of neurology.
Cashman is to be named the Canada research chair in neurodegeneration and protein misfolding diseases. He will move here from Toronto.
Cashman's recruitment stems from the retirement of Dr. Andrew Eisen, who was the director of the ALS clinic at Vancouver Hospital.
"When Andy reached the age of retirement, we realized that to maintain international stature in ALS , we would have to reconceptualize the program with innovation," said Feldman. In addition to building new laboratory space for Cashman at UBC, various agencies, including Vancouver coastal health, the Vancouver General Hospital-UBC Foundation and private donors to the ALS Society helped fund the new clinic, which will amalgamate all services for ALS patients.
In ALS , a motor neuron disease, nerves involved in muscular activity weaken and waste. Symptoms can start with weakness or twitching in fingers or limbs, stiffness and muscle cramps.
There are about 500 patient visits per year to the clinic and about 400 B.C. residents living with ALS . The lifetime risk of developing ALS is said to be one in 1,000, similar to the lifetime risk of developing multiple sclerosis. People who are diagnosed with MS can have normal life expectancies, however, while 80 per cent of those with ALS die within five years, Cashman said in an interview.
"My record with an ALS patient was 33 years. Some patients are turtles and some are rabbits," he said, referring to life expectancy.
"Generally, it's a rapidly progressive, paralysing disease which doesn't affect patients' mental functions, so it's like being party to seeing yourself disintegrate," he said.
There are virtually no effective treatments for ALS except for a drug called riluzole which has a modest effect in delaying the progression of the disease, but only for about six months. One of Cashman's early-phase scientific studies in a small number of human patients involves using a solution that stimulates the growth of patients' own stem cells in bone marrow.
"Getting the stem cells to be released from bone marrow to enter the circulatory system so they can migrate to damaged tissues is the goal," said Cashman, cautioning that the study results are still being analysed.
ALS patients are thrilled with Cashman's recruitment and the new clinic.
"The merger of the VGH clinic with the one at G.F. Strong is wonderful, and getting Dr. Cashman, who is highly respected around the world, is a huge bonus," said Abbotsford resident Ron Martens, who has lived with ALS for eight years.
pfayerman@png.canwest.com
dtSearch 6.05 (6146)
| Posted On: Thursday, March 24, 2005 Modified: Thursday, March 24, 2005 Category: ALS Research Posted By: |