Since 1977, the Les Turner ALS Foundation has been Chicagoland's leader in patient services, research, and education for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and other motor neuron diseases (MND).
A small group of elusive neurons in the brain’s cortex play a big role in ALS, but the neurons have always been difficult to study because there are so few of them and they look so similar to other neurons in the cortex. In a new preclinical study, Dr. P. Hande Ozdinler, Foundation researcher and Northwestern Medicine® scientist, has isolated the motor neurons in the brain that die in ALS and, for the first time, dressed them in a green fluorescent jacket. Now they’re impossible to miss and easy to study.
Please visit the Feinberg School of Medicine website or the Journal of Neuroscience website to read more. If you missed the airing, you can still catch the WGN News special segment on this breakthrough. Your support for research has made this possible. Thank you!
Please join us in welcoming Dimitri Krainc, MD, PhD, who will join Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine on July 1 as Aaron Montgomery Ward Professor and chair of the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology. He will also direct a new center for rare diseases, which will draw together specialists from throughout the university.
This year's spring newsletter, honoring ALS Awareness Month, is now available online. Please click to read the issue, or visit our newsletter page to browse this issue and past issues.
Our 3rd Annual Syposium on ALS and NeuroRepair will be held on Friday, May 31, at the Baldwin Auditorium of the Lurie Medical Research Center (303 E. Superior in Chicago). The symposium is hosted by P. Hande Ozdinler, director of one of the Les Turner ALS Laboratories. This year's topic is "Common and Unique Biology Between Cancer and Neurodegeneration." The presentations begin at 12:30pm and will be followed by a wine and cheese reception at 5:00pm.
New this year! CME credit is available for this conference. While the presentations will be very technical in nature, the general public is welcome to attend. Register today or download the event flyer for more information.
Registration is now open for our 2013 ALS/MND Nursing Symposium. This workshop, held November 7-10, is designed for new and experienced nurses, clinic coordinators and other allied health professionals working with People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (PALS). Please visit our For Professionals page to download a flier and registration form.
The date for the 2013 ALS Walk4Life has been changed to Sunday, September 22. This new date is one day later than previously communicated. Please help us spread the word! Visit our ALS Walk4Life page to read more about this important change.
Registration is now open for the 4th Annual Strike Out ALS 5K. Held on Tuesday, July 16, this chip-timed race features a finish on the warning track of U.S. Cellular Field. We are excited to announce that Lin Brehmer of WXRT will be emceeing this year's race! Stay afterward for a meet-and-greet with Lin during our post-race All-Star Party. Concessions will open, and the MLB all-star game will be shown on the jumbotron. Visit our Run4ALS page for information on all our upcoming races. Questions? Contact Kim at (847) 679-3311 or kmciver@lesturnerals.org. 
Chris Benyo and Denise DiMarzo completed this weekend's New Jersey Marathon, raising money to support the Foundation through the Run4ALS program. Congrats, Chris and Denise! We continue to be impressed with your determination and heart. Chris and Denise are featured in our ALS Awareness Month "Faces of ALS" campaign. Please visit our ALS Awareness Month page to read news coverage and more!
Every May, in honor of ALS Awareness Month, Tag Days drives are held in communities throughout the Chicago area. Check out the list of drives on our Tag Days page, then contact Liz at (847) 679-3311 or lmelvin@lesturnerals.org to register to volunteer.
Help raise funds to fight ALS while supporting others right in your community. The warmer weather makes this the perfect time to attend or host a Family and Community Event. We've got charity baseball games, art shows, cocktail hours and more! Visit our Family and Community Events page to learn more about our upcoming events or how to host your own event.
Questions on these or our other latest happenings? Please contact us and we'll be happy to help! You can also join our email list to receive our monthly e-newsletter. We'll bring all this info--and more--right to your inbox.