February 21: Message from Dr. Eva Feldman

Dear Friends,

Like all of you I’m eagerly anticipating spring, but I have great news to share from these past winter months. First, we scheduled our next NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies Mini Symposium for March 18 - Nutrition & Brain Health with The Henry Ford. Watch the event preview video below to learn more about my fellow presenters: Dr. Debra Reid from The Henry Ford, and Danielle Karsies from Michigan Medicine.

ALSO THIS MONTH

• Edith Briskin Emerging Scholar - I’m very pleased to announce the establishment of the Edith Briskin Emerging Scholar to support a junior scientist whose research focuses on brain health. The first recipient is Dr. Sarah Elzinga. Thank you to Edie Briskin for this very impactful gift. Please watch the short video feature on Edie below.
• February: American Heart Month - Learn from Dr. Salim Hayek, Medical Director of the Michigan Medicine Frankel Cardiovascular Center Clinics, how brain and heart health is linked. He also discusses our joint COVID-19 research efforts. Watch and read his interview below.
• National Donor Day - Dr. Stephen Goutman explains how our biorepository, which contains blood samples donated from patients and healthy individuals, is critically important to our understanding of ALS and our development of new therapies. Watch his video below.
• Detroit Free Press - Matt McKeown, who is a patient of ours in the Pranger ALS Clinic, was featured for his ingenious creation of a robot to feed himself. Watch his robot in action and read the article below.
• Scientific Journal - Published in Neurology-Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, our research on the immune system showed that men and women with ALS may benefit from different treatments. Read the article below.

The Nutrition & Brain Health with The Henry Ford Symposium is made possible by the generous support of Robert and Katherine Jacobs, who believe that informing people about healthy food options is critically important to the health of our community.

I always enjoy hearing from you, so please call or email me if there is anything I can do for you.

Warm regards,

Eva L. Feldman, MD, PhD
Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology
Director, NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies
Director, ALS Center of Excellence

McKeown, an avid outdoorsman, skilled golfer and bowler, retained his ability to walk two years into his ALS diagnosis without relying on a mobility aid. ALS is characterized by gradual onset of progressive muscle weakness — for McKeown, it started with his arms then his head before reaching his legs then chest. When his fingertips became mostly paralyzed in 2017, McKeown had trouble opening containers and gripping smaller items like lids. So, he grabbed some tools.

Effective treatments for ALS have eluded scientists for decades. A new examination of the immune system shows the appeal of personalized medicine for future care.