The tournament is named in honor of Jim Himelic, a much-respected juvenile court judge who died from the disease on Feb. 12, 2000. His family and friends created a foundation in his name to raise funds for ALS research. The first tournament in 2001 raised nearly $55 thousand.
"This fund-raising effort will help make possible research into stem cell therapy for ALS at the UA," says Valerie Cwik, MD, associate professor of clinical neurology, UA College of Medicine Department of Neurology. Stem cell research holds potential for rescuing and possibly replacing dying motor neurons affected by ALS. The UA research will use rodent neural stem cells to understand the biology of stem cells and apply this knowledge to develop new therapies for ALS.
"We deeply appreciate the help of Jim Himelic's family and friends. The funds will support the establishment of a stem cell research lab at the College of Medicine; this in turn will allow us to obtain the pilot research data necessary to apply for funding from other agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and Muscular Dystrophy Association," says Dr. Cwik. "These start-up funds are extremely important, as funding agencies require pilot data to demonstrate that we can do the research, but do not provide funding for such studies. These funds allow us to jump-start stem cell research in ALS at the UA."
The research will be conducted by Jonathan Flax, PhD, UA assistant research professor of molecular and cellular biology and research associate, respiratory sciences, Arizona Respiratory Center.
ALS, also called "Lou Gehrig's disease" after the famous New York Yankee who lost his life from the disorder, is a fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness resulting in paralysis. ALS attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, affecting voluntary muscle control throughout the body. Early symptoms include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing and breathing. In the vast majority of cases, the mind remains unaffected. ALS is not contagious. The cause of ALS is not completely understood.
According to the ALS Association, more than 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year (15 new cases a day) and an estimated 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries. Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. However, cases do occur in persons in their twenties and thirties. ALS is 20 percent more common in men than in women. However with increasing age, the incidence of ALS is more equal between men and women. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages about two to five years from the time of diagnosis. Half of all affected live more than three years after diagnosis. More people die every year of ALS than of Huntington's disease or multiple sclerosis. The financial cost to families of persons with ALS is exceedingly high, with estimates that in the advanced stages, care can cost an average of $200,000 a year.
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