Project A.L.S. Events

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	CLICK HERE TO VIEW STEM CELL THERAPY VIDEO
	CLICK HERE TO VIEW JENIFER ESTESS LABORATORY VIDEO

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STEM CELLS

Stem cells, the source of all cells in the body, have the intriguing ability both to self-renew and to transform themselves into specialized cell types. For this reason, stem cells hold great promise in treating brain disease in which large numbers of nerve cells are lost. CLICK HERE TO VIEW STEM CELL THERAPY VIDEO

In 1999, Project A.L.S. pioneered the use of stem cells in ALS research. Now, in the space of seven years, the Project A.L.S. stem cell team has achieved several milestones.

The Project A.L.S./Jenifer Estess Laboratory for Stem Cell Research opened in May, 2006, in New York, as the first privately-funded laboratory devoted exclusively to the study of stem cells, ALS, and therapeutic approaches to the disease. A joint venture between Project A.L.S. and Columbia University, the Project A.L.S. Lab does not accept federal funding.

Named after Project A.L.S. founder, Jenifer Estess, the Laboratory unites leading stem cell experts from Columbia University, Harvard University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, and additional collaborators to focus together on specific scientific and clinical goals.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW JENIFER ESTESS LABORATORY VIDEO

Short-term goals of the Laboratory:

Create large numbers of human stem cell-derived motor neurons. This is our first chance to examine up close the properties of functional human motor neurons. Scientists will use these human motor neurons to test drugs that may slow the course of disease.

Create patient-specific stem cell lines. We will obtain DNA from the skin cells of ALS patients. This DNA will be transferred into human stem cell lines. Scientists will then differentiate these lines into motor neurons with ALS. These living ALS-motor neurons will offer us new insights into the disease process and will provide an accurate new screen for ALS drugs.

Transplantation studies.