HAVING A PURPOSE: Focused. Disciplined. Humble. Engaging. On this particular day, Dr. Feldman and her team would be implanting 8 million stem cells into the spine of Ron Withers, a recently diagnosed 52 year-old ALS patient from Canada. Thanks to research by his daughter, Ron was able to not only meet Dr. Feldman, he became the very first patient in the world to receive this many stem cells for his condition. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. We were able to witness twenty-five years of clinical research, trail and error, operational techniques all come to fruition for Dr. Eva Feldman and her team. Dr. Eva Feldman is the director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute and of the Program for Neurology Research and Discover and a former President of the American Neurological Association. “I just wanted to be a part of this trail study of hers. I’m hopeful that this will further along the work of Dr. Feldman,” Ron added before he was taken to the operating room for the very lengthy, delicate seven-hour procedure. This is part of Phase II of Dr. Feldman’s clinical research on finding a cure for ALS. As Ron would say, “I’m trying to do my part to make this an ALS-free world.” During this phase there have been 10 patients who have received stem cells, but none as many as Ron has. Dr. Parag Patil was the surgeon whose steady head was clearing the way of exposing the spinal cord. Watching him work would easily put anyone in awe as he meticulously cleared a path to the delicate bundle of nerves that controls all of the movement in our bodies. He made it look effortless. I’m not sure what they pay him, but I can tell you that it isn’t enough! After many hours of preparation that required moving vertebrae away from the spinal cord, pulling back and securing the muscles and skin there was the wait for the stem cells themselves to arrive. After arrival and when the doctor was ready, another doctor would them prepare the cells to go into a specially designed device used to inject them into the spinal cord. This whole process was custom designed and created by her team. It takes two minutes for the injection followed by a one-minute wait. 400,000 stems cells would be introduced per injection. Twenty injections all told for a total of eight million stem cells. The goal is that they will repair the dying nerve cells in the spinal cord over time. Dr. Feldman’s work at the University of Michigan would not be possible without a philanthropist like A. Alfred Taubman. For years he has believed in the Eva’s vision of finding a cure for ALS through stem cells. The goal from here is to reach Phase III by next year. Being in the presence of such a driven and dedicated woman is inspiring. “Isn’t this exciting,” asked Dr. Feldman before the first injection. This is a remarkable woman whose purpose in life mission may just end up leading to the cure for a mysterious disease known as ALS that previously was viewed as “incurable.” ALS is also known as Lou Gerhig’s Disease for the former Yankees legend who retired from baseball after seventeen seasons following his diagnosis. We are lucky and fortunate to have been a part of this landmark day for Dr. Eva Feldman and look forward to sharing her story with the world. |
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