News Archive
Proposal 2 Opens the Door to Cures
On November 4, Michigan voters approved a state constitution amendment lifting many of the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. It was a major step forward for doctors and researchers. It allows Michigan to join the other 45 states that allow this exciting, new field of medical inquiry.
In the run-up to the election, the Taubman Institute joined many others at the University of Michigan in an effort to educate the public about stem cell research, so that voters could make an informed decision on this crucial issue. Full Article
February 2008 - Nature Magazine profiles career highlights of Eva Feldman, MD, Ph.D.
Nature magazine honors Dr. Feldman with profiling her career highlights and her new role as director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute. She wants to promote high-risk, high-reward research which is typically not funded in today's competitive climate. Her research includes the pursuit of stem-cell-based ALS therapies. Her colleagues are excited to have a leader eager to take risks at a time when most academics put forth conservative proposals to secure funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Feldman to head Taubman Institute
Neurologist and research scientist Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected to direct the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute at the University of Michigan Medical School. The Institute was established in September, through a $22 million gift from the retail pioneer whose name it bears. Read the full article here.
With $22 million gift from A. Alfred Taubman, U-M Health System launches A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute
With his $22 million gift to create the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute and support research at the U-M Medical School, Mr. Taubman has solidified his position as one of the leading donors to the University of Michigan. Only Stephen Ross has given more in his lifetime.
Mr. Taubman’s cumulative giving to the University now stands at more than $60 million – more than $56 million of which has been given as part of the University’s $2.5 billion Michigan Difference campaign. Read the full article here.
Neuralstem to Collaborate with University of Michigan ALS Clinic
ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Stem cell company, Neuralstem, Inc. (Amex: CUR - News), today announced it has entered into a collaborative agreement with the ALS Clinic at University of Michigan Health System, directed by Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., the De Jong Professor of Neurology at the U-M Medical School. The goal of the collaboration is to provide further proof-of-principle data to move Neuralstem's spinal cord stem cells into patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. ALS is a motor neuron disease, which strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70. As many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time. Read the full article here.
May 23 - Gift from Mr. Taubman makes news
A new $5 million gift by philanthropist and retail pioneer A. Alfred Taubman is making news today, including a major story in the Detroit News and a story on the Michigan Associated Press wire that is being picked up by many news outlets around the state. Mr. Taubman is giving the gift to support research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, led by Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., of Neurology. Part of the research, which will test the use of embryonic stem cells as a potential treatment for this deadly nerve disease, will be performed in collaboration with Martin Marsala, M.D., of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Read the UMHS press release about the gift here.
Sept 19 - Detroit News reports on benefit gala for Dr. Feldman
A week after profiling Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., Neurology, the Detroit News has followed up with a story on the benefit gala held this past weekend to raise money for her laboratory's research on ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Sept. 12 - Dr. Feldman profiled in Detroit News
The front page of the features section in today's Detroit News contains a major profile of Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., Neurology, including several photos. The article, by columnist Marney Rich Keenan, focuses on Dr. Feldman's longtime friendship with business leader and U-M donor A. Alfred Taubman, who has been both her patient and a benefactor of her research. The article also mentions a gala event that Mr. Taubman will host this weekend, to raise money for research by Dr. Feldman's group on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Aug. 21 - Dr. Feldman in Crain's Detroit
A major story in this week's Crain's Detroit Business focuses on the research of Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., and the financial support she has received from major donors. The story especially looks at support for her research on ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). It also promotes a fundraising event that was held on Sept.16 to raise money for her team's work. The event is being hosted by U-M donor Alfred Taubman. The story is available online to subscribers only, or you can request the story from public relations at 734-764-2220.
March 26- Dr. Feldman in Ann Arbor News, Detroit Free Press
By coincidence, two newspapers ran major feature stories involving Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., Neurology, on the same day - - giving readers across southeastern Michigan a chance to learn about her research and the clinical trials she is currently leading. In the joint Sunday edition of the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, Free Press columnist Susan Ager wrote of her experience as a participant in Dr. Feldman's trial for people with mild nerve damage related to Type 1 diabetes - - and along the way, educated readers about the process of taking part in clinical research. In addition to Dr. Feldman and research nurse Cynthia Plunkett, RNC, the story also quotes Dan Clauw, MD, director of the Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research, and directs readers to the Engage web site to learn more about clinical trials at U-M. The second story, in the Ann Arbor News, focused on Dr. Feldman's research in diabetes but also in ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and other nerve disorders.
Dr. Feldman on CNBC
On Sunday, Feb. 19, CNBC at 7 p.m. aired an episode of the diabetes show "dLife" featuring Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., the DeJong Professor of Neurology at the U-M Medical School. Dr. Feldman discussed the latest research in diabetes, including how people with diabetes can take part in clinical trials. She was also featured in a segment on the search for a cure for diabetes. Different cable systems offer CNBC on different channels; check your provider's listings.
The dLife TV show is a weekly television series for the diabetes community that is focused on information, inspiration, and lifestyle issues in an entertaining format. It can also be seen on satellite television, and segments are available online after their airdate at www.dlife.com.
$1 million gift to PFUND
Mr. Alfred Taubman, a noted visionary in the world of American retailing, recently bestowed a $1 million gift to PFUND as a means to significantly enhance PFUND’s research and educational initiatives. Throughout the years, Mr. Taubman has been a continuous benefactor to the University of Michigan, ensuring excellence in the field of Medicine, the Taubman Center and the Taubman Medical Library being visible examples. With this gift the PFUND is able to hire new faculty and researchers committed to the goal of understanding and curing neurological diseases.
Handleman gift benefits the PFUND
David & Charlene Handleman of Bloomfield Hills recently made a $50,000 gift to the Program for Understanding Neurological Diseases. In making the gift, David and Charlene aim to encourage the scientists and researchers of PFUND to continue making the important contributions to neurology.
Pepsi and PFUND Unite Against Neurological Diseases
In an exciting new initiative to fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) and other neurological diseases, Pepsi has handpicked the PFUND’s research to display on some 6 million soda cans. The information regarding the PFUND and its mission was exhibited on cans of Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi for the first time in August 2004. The cans were distributed once again in July 2005 throughout Southeastern Michigan. The common goal of Pepsi and the PFUND is to increase understanding of neurological diseases in Michigan and inspire support for the fight against these diseases worldwide. PFUND director, Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D. is optimistic that this type of mass exposure will generate funds necessary to fuel current research by PFUND investigators, scientists seeking treatments for diseases such as ALS, Childhood Cancer (tumor related to the nervous system), and Diabetes. Presently, the PFUND has raised over $1 million, roughly ten percent of the ultimate goal of $10 million. Hopefully, the partnership with Pepsi will help the PFUND reach that goal and take a big step forward in the struggle against Neurological Disease.
PFUND Student presents research on Capitol Hill
David Zhen, a U-M undergraduate, was among 60 students chosen from around the nation to present the results of his independent research on Neuroblastoma; a neurological childhood cancer, in Washington D.C. on April 19th, 2005. David has been a part of the Feldman lab for two years, working diligently under the supervision of Dr. Tracy Schwab. The event provided the students an opportunity to present their research to members of the Congress, Federal agency funding officers and invited guests. Due to David and Dr. Schwab’s excellent efforts, the Feldman lab has been chosen to be a part of the Congressional tour of research facilities in MI, scheduled for August 2005.
The U-M Neuropathy Center Opening
The Neuropathy Association has established “Neuropathy Centers” at and in affiliation with four of the nation’s most prestigious university medical centers including that of University of Michigan. The Centers are the first in what is expected to become a national network of centers affiliated with the Association. Their purpose is to 1) Encourage and organize and patient support activities 2) Educate physicians to better evaluate and treat patients 3) Partner with key health care thought leaders and 4) Raise general neuropathy awareness at a grassroots level. The University of Michigan Neuropathy Center under the direction of Dr. Eva Feldman had its opening ceremony on Wednesday, March 9, 2005. Read full press release.
Dr. Feldman named to DeJong chair
Dr. Eva Feldman was recently named the Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology. The appointment, for five years beginning Oct. 21, 2004, was approved by the University of Michigan Regents. The professorship was established under Dr. DeJong who served as a Chair of Neurology for 27 years at University of Michigan until his retirement in 1977. Dr. DeJong was one of the leaders of American neurology and was founding editor of the journal Neurology. It is a befitting honor to Dr. Feldman for her outstanding scientific achievements, commitment to teaching, her active University clinical practice; her leadership and service to the Medical School, the University of Michigan and professional organizations and journals. The installation ceremony, which took place on March 16, 2005 in the Ford Amphitheatre at the University of Michigan Hospital, included Mr. Taubman, President Mary Sue Coleman, and the dean of Medical school, Dr. Allen Lichter.
PFUND Researcher Receives Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award
Joseph M. Corey, MD, Ph.D., has been awarded a Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08) by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at NIH, which began 8/1/2004. His proposal, entitled “Fibrous Templates for Directed Nerve Regeneration” is co-mentored by Eva Feldman, MD, Ph.D. in Neurology and David Martin, Ph.D., in Materials Science and Engineering. In this grant, Dr. Corey will better understand how nerve cells can grow on special artificial fibers, so that patients with cut or damaged nerves and spinal cord injury may regain function.
PFUND Completes NIH Drug Screening
Following the screening of 1,040 specially selected FDA approved drugs in our experimental model system, the data was shared with the Consortium of 26 laboratories nationwide. This project, sponsored by The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the ALS Association, was a focused effort to fast-track new therapeutic strategies against ALS into the clinic. The data from all 26 research teams will be available to the public on the Internet in the form of a database containing all of the screening results. In addition, preliminary discussions of the data will be published in a letter to the journal Nature in the near future. In our own PFUND laboratory, the drug screen has produced exciting new insights into ALS disease. These leads form the basis for new research projects and grant proposals that are now underway in the lab.
Researcher Awarded ALS Association Grant
Following the drug screening effort for new therapies against ALS, Andrea Vincent, Ph.D., obtained a grant from the ALS Association to study the protective drug effects. The grant is for one year and is intended to examine how inflammation influences the survival of the motor neurons affected in ALS. Dr. Vincent hopes to use this one-year period to generate new theories about how ALS progresses and develop her research program in this area.
New Study shows how Diabetes Injures Nerves
In a new study soon to be published in the FASEB Journal, PNR&D scientist Gina Leinninger reports her newest results on neuronal survival in the face of high glucose. Ms. Leinninger, a current University of Michigan Graduate Student in the Neuroscience Program, has found that Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I) enhances the survival of those neurons affected in diabetic neuropathy using a specific survival pathway. Cells use this pathway to increase production of a group of factors that protect the cell from glucose-induced damage and death. This increased understanding of both how glucose kills neurons and the factors needed to protect them could lead to the identification of therapeutic targets in the future.
Researcher Outlines New Way to Study Nerve Cells
PFUND researcher Joseph M. Corey, MD, Ph.D., has recent data suggesting that engineered synthetic materials produced in a specific pattern enhance the growth, shape, and migration of neurons and their processes. During spinal cord injury, neurons are damaged or killed. In order for a patient to regain function, the neurons must grow and connect with one another in a particular pattern. Scaffolds are used to aid in proper neuronal growth and connection. Dr. Corey’s results suggest that the material used and the patterns the materials are placed in determine how the neurons will behave. These results further our understanding of how these materials can be used to control the direction a neuron will grow or move in and the connections it will make with other neurons, which will be important for patient rehabilitation after spinal cord injury.
