Important Aspects in Clinical Care and Promising Developments in ALS Research Discussed at Special "Ask the Experts" Event

November 17, 2012- Los Angeles, California

Following the third annual California ALS Research Summit, The ALS Association Golden West Chapter held a special "Ask the Experts" event open to the public with ALS experts discussing important aspects of clinical care and promising developments in ALS research.  The program entittled "Living with ALS"  offered people with Lou Gehrig's disease and their loved ones an opportunity to ask their questions directly to scientists and clinicians.  More than 100 people with ALS and their families were in attendance, through the invitation of The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. Many traveled long distances to be at the Cedar-Sinai Medical Center campus for this event in person. Others watched via live webcast and chatted in their questions and words of appreciation.

Speakers included Catherine Lomen-Hoerth, M.D., Ph.D., Director, The ALS Center at UCSF, who discussed multidisciplinary care and ALS, along with The ALS Association’s Chief Scientist, Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D., who presented an overview of ALS research. Other presenters included Robert H. Baloh, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Cedars-Sinai ALS Center, Don W. Cleveland, Ph.D., Department Chair, UCSD, and Clive Svendsen, Ph.D., Director, Cedars-Sinai RMI and Chair of the California ALS Research Network who spoke about topics such as clinical trials, genetics, and stem cell research.

“I would like to continue this model for future California ALS Research Summits,” said Svendsen, who also serves as the Chair of the California ALS Research Network. “Knowing that we will be rotating the Summit location each year will enable us to access different patient groups in different geographic areas. I am very committed to presenting this emerging science directly to people with ALS and their families. It is essential to those who are holding on through this disease and relating their clinical experience to us.  The scientists are very indebted to the ALS community and enjoy the opportunity to talk one-on-one with them,” he said.

To view photos from the event, please visit our flickr site.