Innovations in Sports MedicineConference Scheduled for Late April

Volume 1, Issue 1 Spring 2005

what’s inside . . .

Athletics are more than a greatsource of fun and entertainment. Sports,and sports injuries, are becoming ofgreater concern for medical profession-als. That’s why so many neurologists andneurosurgeons are taking an interest in"Innovations in Sports Medicine." Thisexclusive, two-day, CME/CEU conferenceis designed to highlight the latest emerging technologies in the care of athletes. Presented by MethodistUniversity Hospital, the event will be heldApril 28 & 29, 2005 in Memphis,Tenn.

On April 28, attendees will spendpart of their day touring the premiumtraining facilities of the MemphisGrizzlies basketball team at theFedExForum. High-tech surgical andpractical demonstrations at MERI willround out an afternoon of diverse learning. Of particular interest, minimallyinvasive lumbar discectomy and minimally invasive cervical discectomydemonstrations are planned.

That evening, arrangements havebeen made for attendees to enjoy abaseball game at AutoZone Park, one ofthe finest AAA baseball parks in thecountry.

Day two will be spent at the FedExInstitute of Technology, a truly dynamicconference location on the University ofMemphis campus. Breakout session topics include MIS Spine Surgery forAthletes, Peripheral Nerve Injuries inAthletes, Concussion Management andSpinal Instability and Fractures -Diagnosis and Management.

Robert G.Watkins, M.D., an internationally recognized spine surgeonpracticing in Los Angeles, Calif. will be thekeynote speaker at the event. Dr.Watkins

served as Professor of Clinic OrthopedicSurgery at the University of SouthernCalifornia from 1998 to 2002, and asClinical Associate Professor ofOrthopedics from 1980 to 1998. In addition, he has served as orthopedicspinal consultant to a number of athletes, including Mario Lemieux,WayneGretsky, Steve Yzerman,Troy Aikman andRandy Johnson.

Dr.Watkins has been a consultant to the Los Angeles Lakers, Los AngelesKings, Los Angeles Dodgers, CaliforniaAngels, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and thePhoenix Coyotes.The Professional GolfAssociation benefits from his expertise,as well. He is co-founder of the Los Angeles based Spine in SportsFoundation.

Other faculty will consist ofSemmes-Murphey Neurologic and SpineInstitute physicians, Campbell ClinicOrthopaedics physicians and trainers, aswell as professional sports trainers.

For more information, to receive pricinginformation and/or to register, please visit

www.methodistmd.orgor call 901-516-8933.

Center for Brain TumorResearch OptimisticallyLooking Ahead

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Reflections: From theMethodist NeuroscienceInstitute

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Of All The Nerve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4

The Center for Brain TumorResearch (CBTR) is a basic scienceresearch group partnership withthe Methodist UniversityHospital Neuroscience Institute,the University of TennesseeHealth Science Center (UTHSC),and the Semmes-Murphey

Neurologic & Spine Institute. It wasestablished three years ago to aggressively develop molecularresearch for brain cancers, create translational research that converts

basic science into clinical tools and therapies, and combines new technolo-gy and therapies with neurosurgicalexcellence to provide patients with morehope for the future.

"We are actively seeking fundingfrom the NIH and other research agencies for three areas," saidChristopher Duntsch, M.D., Ph.D. "Ourmajor area of focus has been braintumor cell and molecular biology,coupled with a tumor stem cell emphasis. In addition, we have focusgroups developing experimental therapeutics and computational bioinformatics seeking new treatmentsand diagnostic tools respectively."

For example, the VSV oncolytics project for the treatment of high-gradebrain glioma is an experimental therapeutics project funded recently bythe NIH and designed to develop pre-clinical data on the use of a safe andeffective tumor lytic virus (a second generation genetically engineeredvesicular stomatitis virus, GTx-v401).

Dr. Duntsch said the virus is beingdeveloped for future use as an adjuvanttherapy that will be combined withsurgical resection and radiation to eradicate remaining brain tumor cells.

Gene expression studies of gliomaby grade, location, age, recurrence andsubtype is a computational bioinformat-ics approach that uses microarray-basedgene expression studies, coupled withepigenetics and proteonomics, to createcomprehensive bioinformatic databases.These databases can be used to identifynew drug targets and build gene expression fingerprints for diagnosing,prognosing and stratifying patients intomore effective therapeutic algorithms.

Regardless of the challenges andsuccesses that lie ahead, the primarygoals of the CBTR will always be to find abetter understanding of brain cancersand to develop new therapies in aneffort to change the future for the nextgeneration of brain cancer patients.

Visit our Website,http://neuro.methodisthealth.org andclick on Research for more information.

http://neuro.methodisthealth.org

Center for Brain Tumor Research OptimisticallyLooking Ahead

Pathways: What’s Hot at. . .

Would you preferto receive

brainStormelectronically?

Drop us a note at

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“If the brain were so simple we

could understand it, we would

be so simple we couldn’t.”

- Lyall Watson

Over the course of the last year, theMethodist Neuroscience Institute hasenjoyed national acclaim for the presentation of three outstanding liveNeurosurgical Webcasts. Broadcastingworld-class surgery on the World WideWeb has allowed for the sharing of innovative ideas and treatments in aninternational forum previously unimaginable.

If you are one of the few who missedthe live presentations, never fear. Theseremarkable 60-minute Surgical Webcastsare available for your viewing convenience anytime at:

http://neuro.methodisthealth.org.

Consider yourself cordially invited to:

Log On, and… get inside Dr. Sills’ head,

watch Dr. Foley’s back, and see Dr. Boop

make a difference in a child’s life.

Reflections: From the MethodistNeuroscience Institute

The Methodist UniversityHospital Neuroscience Instituteis dedicated to maintaining apractical balance of teaching,research and patient care underone roof to offer the maximumbenefit to patients. In additionto the clinical trials featured elsewhere in this publication,the following trials are alsounderway at the MNI:

• Phase II Study Utilizing Focal Radiation in Patients with 1-3 Brain Metastases.

• Phase I/II Trial of Gleevec (Imatinib Mesylate,formerly known as STI-571)and Gliadel For Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma Multiforme.

• Phase III Randomized Trial of the Role of Whole Brain Radiation Therapy in Addition to Radiosurgery in the Management of Patients with One to ThreeCerebral Metastases.

For more information onthese, or any of the many clinicaltrials currently underway, pleasevisit http://neuro.methodisthealth.organd click on Research.

ImpulsesStimulating clinicaladvancements inthe MNI

Methodist Healthcare will be one ofmany sites around the world to conduct anew clinical trial for secondary stroke prevention. PRoFESS®, the PreventionRegimen For Effectively avoiding SecondStrokes, will compare the efficacy and safetyof Aggrenox® (25 mg ASA/200 mg extended-release dipyridamole) with clopidogrel, and of Micardis® (telmisartan)with placebo in preventing recurrent stroke.

Neurologist James Wang is responsiblefor bringing PRoFESS®, the world's largestsecondary stroke prevention trial, toMethodist Healthcare.

“We live in a region that is greatlyimpacted by stroke,”said Dr.Wang, MedicalDirector, Methodist Neuroscience InstituteStroke Center. “All of us at Methodist areexcited to be involved in something with thepotential to have such a positive impact onthe lives of our patients.”

PRoFESS® will involve 15,500 patientsfrom approximately 600 sites throughout 30

countries in Asia,Australia, Europe,North and SouthAmerica andSouth Africa for anobservation period of up tofour years. Thetrial is designed asa randomized,parallel-group,multi-national, double-blind, double-dummy,active and placebo-controlled, 2 x 2 factorialstudy. Enrollment criteria include males andfemales who have had an ischemic strokewithin 90 days.

If you are interested in referring apatient into the PRoFESS® clinical trial, pleasecontact Deborah Terry, RN at (901) 516-8130.For more information on PRoFESS®, pleasevisit:

www.profess-study.com

Methodist to Participate in WorldwideClinical Trial for Stroke

Dr. James Wang

Only online at http://neuro.methodisthealth.org!

The Methodist Neuroscience InstituteWebcasts currently available on

archive are:

Brain Tumor Surgery/GliaSiteRadiation Therapy

Featuring Allen K. Sills Jr., M.D.From Methodist University Hospital

METRx Herniated Disc RepairFeaturing Kevin T. Foley, M.D.

From Methodist University Hospital

Pediatric Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)Featuring Fredrick A. Boop, M.D.

From Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center

1211Union Avenue, Suite 900

Memphis, TN 38104• A CON for operating room renovations at Methodist University Hospital

was recently approved. This will allow for new operating rooms with additional square footage and ceiling height to hold advanced surgical technologies for image-guided surgical navigation, surgical microscopes and minimally invasive surgery systems. One of the six new 650 square foot ORs will be specially equipped to perform minimally invasive spine surgery.

• The International Neuro-Oncology Update presented by Methodist University Hospital is growing! A partnership with Johns Hopkins and The Carlo Besta National Neurological Institute in Milan, Italy will expand the Neuro-Oncolgy Update to new heights. 2005 will see the conferencepresented in Tuscany on June 25 & 26 and then it heads back home to Memphis in 2006. This exciting event travels to Johns Hopkins in 2007.

• Methodist University Hospital has teamed with Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute and Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics to become the official Sports Medicine Providers for the Memphis Grizzlies.

• Mark your calendars! The Head for a Cure 5K Race dedicated to raising funds for brain tumor research will be held July 15, 2005 at the Mike RoseSoccer Complex in Collierville, Tenn.

• Methodist Healthcare is proud to be named on Consumer Digests’50 Exceptional Hospitals and Verispan’s Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks lists.

Of All The NerveNotable News from around the Methodist Neuroscience InstitutebrainStorm

would like to hear from you!

Please send us any

of your news, updates,

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or comments to

rappk@methodisthealth.org.

Methodist University Hospital is the primary teaching hospital for the University ofTennessee Health Science Center and is proud to bring medicine, research and education together under one roof. The Neuroscience Institute brings together the best and brightest in the private and academic world of medicine.

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