The Emory ALS Center is part of Emory Brain Health in Atlanta, GA. Led by Dr. Jonathan Glass, it is recognized nationally as a Treatment Center of Excellence by the ALS Association (ALSA) and is designated a Certified ALS Center by the Muscular Dystrophy Assocation (MDA). The Emory ALS Center is now one of the largest clinical centers for ALS in the United States. Its team approach to ALS care and research bridges multiple disciplines and departments. It is comprised of physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, basic and clinical research scientists, students, fellows, and volunteers.
Laboratory
The ALS Center’s laboratory is equipped with both room temperature and refrigerated centrifuges for spinning and aliquoting blood and spinal fluid samples. 4 -80˚C freezers are used for storage of patient samples. All patient samples are recorded in a local Access database for easy retrieval and shipping.
Clinical
The Emory ALS Clinic is located at the Emory Clinic. Patients are seen at 12 Executive Park or in Clinic B, on Emory’s main campus. The Neuromuscular section is located on the 4th floor of the 12 Executive Park, and includes:
15 exam rooms
4 EMG machines / 3 EMG rooms
Scales: 2 standing (one electric); one seated
Electric Hoyer lift
2 digital spirometers
1 negative inspiratory force meter
1 Cough Assist machine (Respironics)
1 Handheld dynamometer for QMT
All exam rooms have powered exam tables that allow for patients to be lifted to the appropriate height for lumbar puncture. Phlebotomy is done in the patient rooms.
Computer
Emory University is completely networked for internal communication and internet access. The Woodruff Health Sciences Library allows researchers to access an extensive catalog of online journals and provides all major database library services. The PI has 5 Apple Macintosh computers and 2 Dell PC computers. All personnel have access to a computer for data analysis, email, and internet services. The image analysis core for the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease has multiple Macintosh and PC computers for imaging and graphics.
Office
The PI has adequate office space adjacent to his laboratories.
Other
Emory University, the School of Medicine, and the Department of Neurology provide the PI with infrastructure support in the form of space, equipment, administrative personnel for grants management; and secretarial support.
Major Equipment
Standard laboratory equipment needed for this project is available in the Glass lab. This includes centrifuges for blood and spinal fluid preparation and PCR machines for screening DNA samples for C9 expansion mutations. Culture facilities for the generation and storage of patient fibroblasts are shared among investigators in the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease. The Emory Stem Cell Core is contracted for generation of iPS cells from fibroblasts.