=============================================================== == == == ----------- ALS INTEREST GROUP ----------- == == ALS Digest (#38, 30 APR 1993) == == == == To subscribe, to unsubscribe, to request back issues, == == to contribute notes, etc. to ALS Digest, please send == == e-mail to: == == bro@huey.met.fsu.edu (Bob Broedel) == == == == All interested people may "broadcast" messages to == == ALS Digest subscribers by sending to: == == als@huey.met.fsu.edu == == == =============================================================== (1) ===== Building the ALS net (continued). ========== (a) ----- Date : 28 Apr 93 13:53:00 CST From : "Anne Zeilstra" Subject: ALS Interest Group Please send me more information about the ALS Interest Group. I myself am more involved with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, but the two are close enough for comfort. Thanks! (Mr.) Anne Zeilstra (b) ----- Date : 29 Apr 93 09:39:12 EDT From : "R. Michael Williams" <75430.665@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: ALS - SOD I have been following the genetics and immunology of ALS for many years. My grandfather died of ALS. I did the immunology of the ALS trial which was done on snake venom at the Peter Bent Brigham Hosptial in Boston in the 70's. Currently my lab is involved in molecular genetics and immunology. Let's keep up the dialogue, I may even be able to arrange some involvement in clinical trials. (2) ===== Leaving the net ========== Date : 30 Apr 93 08:37 GMT From : SVANG.H@AppleLink.Apple.COM : (Bredtvedt Logopedi Inst,Oslo,NO,IHE) Subject: Tone Finne, ALS interest group Thank you for sending all the information about ALS, which shows that people are interested in this field all over the world. My colleagues and I have found this information useful. Because of severe swallowing problem some of our clients have been given a feeding tube operation directly to the stomach - in order to get the needed nutrition. We have experienced it as important to go through with this operation at an early stage, before the progression of the disease has come too far. In addition to this operation one client has also been traceostomi operated for the pflegm problem, where a new type of probe called "Hood" is used. For a period of time our institution has been connected to Applelink for trying out the system and finding how useful it might be for us. This period has now come to an end. Therefore we will not be on the line before a new decision concerning further work with this system is made. So far we have enjoyed participating the ALS-group, and hope to be a part of it in the future. On behalf of the staff Kind regards from Tone Finne (3) ===== Relevant info from other lists ========== (a) ----- Date : Thu, 29 Apr 1993 15:55:10 EDT Sender : Medical Libraries Discussion List : Comments: Resent-From: Nancy Start Comments: Originally-From: Siegfried Schmitt Subject : CHANGE: AMALGAM - new list address! ----------------------------------------------------- ADDRESS CHANGE - NOTE CAREFULLY The address of list AMALGAM had to be changed twice within the last four years. There are several lists of lists that still contain the old list addresses and . If you find one of these old addresses in any lists of lists, please remove it as soon as possible! ----- Revised AMALGAM List Description ----- AMALGAM on or The AMALGAM list was formed in order to distribute information about chronic mercury poisoning from dental "silver" tooth fillings. Recently, the address of list AMALGAM had to be changed! (old address: AMALGAM@DS0RUS1I) Archives of AMALGAM and related files are stored in the AMALGAM FILELIST. To receive a list of files, send the command IND AMALGAM to or via e-mail or interactive message. To subscribe to AMALGAM, send the following command to or in the BODY of e-mail: SUB AMALGAM yourfirstname yourlastname Owner: Siegfried Schmitt (b) ----- Date : Thu, 8 Apr 1993 08:58:44 -0400 Sender : Medical Education and Health Information Discussion Group : From : Sandor Pongor Subject: ICGEB/EMBnet Course: Computers in Molecular Biology ------------------------------------------------------------------- Practical Course "Computer Methods in Molecular Biology" International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology 14-23 July 1993, Trieste-Italy Co-sponsored by ICGEB and EMBnet/BRIDGE Organizer: Sandor Pongor, ICGEB Trieste, Italy Faculty Amos Bairoch, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Dennis Benson, NCBI-NIH, Bethesda, USA Martin Bishop, Medical Research Council, HGMP, Cambridge, U Miklos Cserzo, Institute of Enzymology, Budapest, Hungary Reinhard Doelz, Biozentrum, Basel, Switzerland David Judge, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK Jack Leunissen, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands Peter Rice, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany Cecilia Saccone, University of Bari, Bari, Italy Gyorgy Simon, ICGEB Trieste, Italy Topics: Introduction to Computer Operating Systems Computer Communications, Networking, File Transfer, Electronic Mail, Bulletin Boards Molecular Biology Databases Sequence Homology Searches, Alignments Multiple Alignment, PCR Primer Design Sequence Patterns, Distant Protein Homologies Molecular Evolution: Quantitative and Qualitative Aspects Genome Projects Registration is limited to 30 participants. Prerequisites: Participants must have a basic knowledge of biochemistry and molecular biology, a basic familiarity with computer uses and a need for DNA or protein sequence analysis for their ongoing research. In order to apply, contact: Ms. Diana Viti, ICGEB, Padriciano 99, 34012 Trieste, ITALY. Telephone: +39-40-3757333, Fax: +39-40-226555, Telex: 460396 ICGEBT I, Email: viti@icgeb.trieste.it Closing date for applications 31 May 1993. ICGEB MEMBER COUNTRIES: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Russia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yugoslavia, Zaire (4) ===== re: CNTF ========== OTC 04/29 1625 REGENERON REPORTS CNTF SAFE AND WELL TOLERATED IN ... TARRYTOWN, NY (APRIL 29) BIZWIRE - In presentations at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in New York City, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) reported on results of safety studies in a Phase I clinical trial with recombinant human Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (rhCNTF). The company has completed a Phase II clinical trial and is currently conducting a Phase III clinical trial with rhCNTF for treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) at over 30 centers in the United States and Canada. Benjamin Rix Brooks, MD, of the University of Wisconsin, provided the results of the Phase I clinical safety tests of rhCNTF in 57 patients with ALS. "rhCNTF is a potent new drug which is capable of stimulating the body's ability to repair damaged nerve cells," Dr. Brooks noted. "It is the first drug of its kind to be tested in a human neurodegenerative disease. Administered subcutaneously at the doses that are being employed in the current Phase III study, rhCNTF was well tolerated, produced few side effects and achieved biologically active plasma concentrations." Dr. Jesse M. Cedarbaum, Regeneron's vice president of clinical affairs commented, "We find the results of the Phase I and II clinical studies with rhCNTF to be encouraging. However, our large placebo controlled Phase III study which is currently underway is designed to provide the basis for the filing of a Product License Application with the Food and Drug Administration, should that study demonstrate safety and efficacy of CNTF in ALS patients. Regeneron is grateful for the high level of scientific collaboration we share with both our pre-clinical and clinical colleagues. We hope that our joint efforts will result in the rapid development of effective treatments for fatal and crippling neurological illnesses such as ALS." Regeneron did not provide information at the meeting with regard to the results of the Phase II CNTF study. Drs. Hiroshi Mitsumoto and Ken Ikeda of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, scientific collaborators of Regeneron, reported that subcutaneously administered rhCNTF dramatically slowed the progression of the degeneration of motor nerve cells in Wobbler mice, which suffer from an inherited motor neuron degenerative disease similar in many ways to human ALS. The studies reported today confirmed Dr. Mitsumoto's earlier observations that "Wobbler" mice treated with CNTF developed less weakness than placebo-treated litter mates. In addition, the current study showed that the muscles of rhCNTF-treated animals were larger and more normal in appearance than those of untreated animals. Furthermore, treated animals had more motor nerve fibers leaving the spinal cord than did placebo-treated control animals. "In the many years I have studied the effects of putative therapies for ALS in the Wobbler mice I have never seen anything which was able to reduce the loss of motor nerve cells and ameliorate the muscle atrophy which occurs in these animals," commented Mitsumoto. He added, "Although such positive results in animal studies do not guarantee success in patients with ALS, we are enthusiastically looking forward to the outcome of the large Phase III clinical study which is now underway." Regeneron is a leader in the discovery and development of biotechnology-based compounds focused on the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, peripheral neuropathies, and nerve injuries which affect more than 6 million Americans -- including such conditions as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, and spinal cord injuries. CONTACT: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tarrytown Fredric D. Price, 914/347-7000 or Robinson, Lake, Lerer & Montgomery, New York Michael J. Gross, 212/484-7721 (5) ===== re: Myotrophin ========== OTC 04/29 0858 CEPHALON COMPLETES SALE OF ADDITIONAL 300,000 ... WEST CHESTER, PA (APRIL 29) BUSINESS WIRE - Cephalon Inc. (NASDAQ:CEPH) Thursday announced that it completed the sale of an additional 300,000 shares of common stock, under a registration statement that was declared effective on April 6, pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters' over-allotment option. The offering was managed by Cowen & Company, Hambrecht & Quist Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. The initial sale of 2,000,000 shares of common stock was completed on April 14. The proceeds from the sale of the offering (including the shares sold in the over-allotment) will be used primarily to fund the company's research, drug discovery and development programs, including clinical trials. The balance of the proceeds will be used for capital expenditures, including expansion of the company's manufacturing and research and development facilities. Cephalon is engaged in the development of products to treat neurological diseases and disorders. The company's primary focus is on neurodegenerative diseases which are characterized by the death of neurons, the specialized conducting cells of the nervous system. The company has concentrated its research and development efforts on the prevention of neuronal death in several disorders, including ALS and peripheral neuropathy, Alzheimer's disease, head and spinal cord injury and stroke. CONTACT: Cephalon Inc., West Chester Lyn Hyduke, 215/344-0200 by Burns McClellan, New York Lillian S. Stern, 212/505-1919. == end of als 38