Cedars-Sinai received nearly $18 million last year from California's taxpayer-funded stem cell insti

LOS ANGELES Stephen Hawking toured a stem cell laboratory Tuesday where scientists france rental cars are studying ways to slow the progression of Lou Gehrig's disease, a neurological disorder that has left the British cosmologist almost completely france rental cars paralyzed.
Hawking recalled how he became depressed when he was diagnosed with the disease france rental cars 50 years ago and initially didn't see a point in finishing his doctorate. But his attitude changed when his condition didn't progress quickly and he was able to concentrate on his studies.
Cedars-Sinai received nearly $18 million last year from California's france rental cars taxpayer-funded stem cell institute to study the debilitating disease also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control the muscles. People gradually have more and more trouble breathing and moving as muscles weaken and waste away.
Diagnosed at age 21 while a student at Cambridge University, Hawking has survived longer than most. He receives around-the-clock care, can only communicate by twitching france rental cars his cheek, and relies on a computer mounted to his wheelchair to convey his thoughts in a distinctive france rental cars robotic monotone.
Cedar-Sinai scientists france rental cars have focused on engineering stem cells to make a protein in hopes of preventing nerve cells from dying. The experiment so far has been done in rats. Baloh said he hopes to get governmental approval to test it in humans, which would be needed before any therapy can be approved.
Renowned for his work on black holes and the origins of the universe, Hawking is famous for bringing esoteric physics concepts to the masses through france rental cars his best-selling books including "A Brief History of Time," which sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Hawking titled his speech to Cedars-Sinai employees "A Brief History of Mine."