Bowdoin College is sponsoring a three-day workshop from August 4 - 6, 2011 at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, preceded by a one-day short course, focused on the linkages between marine and freshwater cyanobacterial blooms, toxicity, and human health impacts.

The goal of this workshop is to bring together specialists in medicine, neurology, toxicology, epidemiology, ecology, oceanography and limnology from medical, academic, research, federal, state and tribal institutions to present and discuss the current state of understanding at the crossroads of these diverse fields as they relate to Cyanobacterial Blooms and Human Health.

The objectives of this workshop are three-fold:

• Provide a synthesis of current understanding within each field of the cyanobacteria and human health connections;
• Generate synergistic collaborations between experts from diverse fields to develop strategies for epidemiological investigations within the context of environmental monitoring of compounds and organisms having potentially harmful consequences to human health;
• Identify successes and future challenges for the merging fields, particularly within the context of environmental change and increasing global populations.

Workshop Structure

The workshop will consist of invited plenary lectures in four topical sessions, short invited talks aimed to introduce topics for panel discussion, and contributed posters in all relevant areas.

Short Course

With the goal of education and cross-fertilization, a one-day short course will be held Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at Bowdoin College. The course will be taught by four instructors, focused on the topics of the four plenary sessions. The lecturers will provide upper level undergraduate, graduate and non-specialists with the background and vocabulary necessary to participate more proactively in the workshop.

For Information and Registration

http://www.bowdoin.edu/earth-oceanographic-science/workshops/index.shtml

WHEN: Thursday, June 2nd
TIME: 1:00pm EST
WHAT: Learn how you can join the cause and help create awareness of this year's fundraising campaign
HOW: Dial (712) 432-3900 and enter access code 116221#
WHO: Traci Bisson, ALS Therapy Alliance, and Treg Charlton & Barry Winovich, 2011 Researching a Cure co-spokespeople

On Thursday, June 2nd at 1:00pm EST, the ALS Therapy Alliance will be holding a 15-20 minute informational teleseminar about the top 20 things you can do to help create awareness of ALS this June and support the Researching a Cure fundraising campaign.

Traci Bisson of the ALS Therapy Alliance will be joined by 2011 co-spokespeople Treg Charlton and Barry Winovich. Treg will share their stories about being diagnosed with ALS. In addition, Traci will share tips, tools and resources that have been developed for helping supporters create awareness of this year's campaign at www.ResearchingACure.org.

To join us on this 15 - 20 minute informational call, please dial the number above at 1:00pm EST on June 2nd, and enter the access code provided. This teleseminar will be recorded so you will be able to access after the event if you are unable to attend.

The Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) will be hosting an interactive Webinar about  Nutrition in ALS: Clinical Care & Research Update.

DATE: Friday, May 20, 2011
TIME: 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST
WHO: Rup Tandan, MD and Anne Marie Wills, MD

HOW TO JOIN: Space is limited. To reserve your Webinar seat now, click here...> After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

DETAILS: Dr. Rup Tandan (UVM) and Dr. Anne Marie Wills (Mass General) will present on the importance of nutrition in the care of ALS and on a crucial new clinical trial studying the affect of diet in ALS.

NEALS hosts regular Webinars on important clinical and clinical research topics for people with ALS. For a list of other upcoming NEALS Webinars please click here...>

The Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) will be hosting an interactive Webinar about - Contributing to an ALS Sample Repository to Help Forward ALS Research.

DATE: Wednesday, April 6, 2011
TIME: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m EST
WHO: Robert Bowser, PhD, Merit Cudkowicz, MD, MSc 
and Carol Milligan, PhD

HOW TO JOIN: Space is limited. To reserve your Webinar seat now, click here...> After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

DETAILS: Expert panelists will discuss and answer questions about:

The importance of biosamples to ALS research
How biosamples are used to further research
Why finding a biomarker is so important to ALS
Ways to donate samples and how the donation is collected

This free Webinar is for people with ALS, their families and caregivers. Please feel free to forward announcement to those interested.

NEALS hosts regular Webinars on important clinical and clinical research topics for people with ALS. For a list of other upcoming NEALS Webinars please click here...>

The Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) will be hosting an interactive webcast about ALS clinical trials, familial ALS, and the ISIS-SOD1RX clinical study in patients with familial ALS due to mutations in SOD1.

DATE: Wednesday, March 2, 2011
TIME: 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT
WHO: Timothy Miller, M.D., Ph.D. & Merit Cudkowicz, M.D., MSc 

HOW TO JOIN: Live on the Internet. To join this webinar at the date and time above, simply log onto the ISIS WEB SITE and click on the Patient tab in the right top corner.

DETAILS: A Phase 1 study is currently enrolling patients who have familial ALS due to a mutation in the SOD1 gene. This study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of an investigational antisense drug, ISIS-SOD1Rx. The drug is administered intrathecally (using an external pump and a temporary catheter to deliver drug into the spinal fluid) during a single, 12-hour infusion. Four dosage levels will each include eight participants: six participants will be randomly assigned to receive SOD1Rx and two participants will receive placebo. Study participants may be enrolled in more than one dose level, if they qualify. Genetic confirmation of a SOD1 mutation is required to enroll in the study. Genetic testing may be available for ALS patients if they have a family history of ALS and preliminary qualifications are met.

Enrollment is ongoing at five study centers in the US and travel assistance is available for patients to travel to one of the study centers. This study is sponsored by The Muscular Dystrophy Association, the ALS Association, and Isis Pharmaceuticals. More information about the study and contact information for the study sites can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT01041222) or by contacting the NEALS coordinating center.

The Northeast Consortium (NEALS) announces that Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, Principal Investigator for the Ceftriaxone study, will hold an informational Webinar for people with ALS who are interested in learning more about the clinical trial of Ceftriaxone for ALS.

Listeners will learn about the scientific rationale behind the study, study procedures, and have the opportunity to ask questions.

WHEN: Join the seminar on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 2:00 EST

For more information, and to register for this free event, click here...>