Motor Neuron Disease Program - Our ALS Clinic
Motor Neuron Disease Program– Our ALS clinic is supported by ALS United Greater Chicago Chapter and ALS Association. We are an ALS Association (ALSA) Certified Center of Excellence (Director: Kourosh Rezania, MD; co-Director: Betty Soliven, MD). We have one of the world’s longest continuously running multidisciplinary ALS clinics. The ALS Clinic is dedicated to providing cutting-edge clinical care and the opportunity to participate in multicenter clinical trials, including Healey ALS Platform Trial with Dr. Rezania serving as the site PI. Our multidisciplinary team consists of nurses, ALS United care coordinators, an orthotist, nutritionist, speech pathologist, social worker, physical therapist, and occupational therapist. Patients are also evaluated by pulmonologists Dr. Alejandra Lastra and Dr. Gorav Sharma. Furthermore, we have a team of anesthesiologists, gastroenterologists, and interventional radiologists who provide consultation and manage the respiratory care and GI /nutritional needs of our patients. We have recently expanded our ALS Clinic UChicago Crown Point where patients will be seen by Dr. Attele and multidisciplinary team.
Myasthenia & Myositis Program
Myasthenia gravis is a condition caused by antibodies against acetylcholine receptors or MuSK, resulting in fluctuating weakness. Our physicians and staff have extensive experience treating patients with myasthenia and Lambert Eaton syndrome. We also perform single fiber EMG, the most sensitive test for diagnosing myasthenia. Aside from neuromuscular attendings, our team includes pulmonologists (Drs. Lastra and Sharma) and thoracic surgeons (Drs. Donington, Bryan). Dr. Soliven has served as the site PI for MGNet, a consortium dedicated to enhancing clinical trial readiness and the identification of predictive biomarkers in myasthenia.
We also see patients with muscle disorders, including but not limited to inflammatory myopathies or metabolic myopathies. Dr. Lara is leading the effort to set up a joint Myositis Program with our Rheumatology colleagues (Dr. Ventura, Dr. Macklin) to facilitate care coordination and foster collaborative research.
Neuropathy Program
We see patients with inflammatory neuropathies (e.g. CIDP, Guillain Barré syndrome, vasculitic neuropathy), diabetic neuropathies, hereditary neuropathies (Charcot Marie Tooth disease), chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and other forms of neuropathy. We are committed to educating the public and healthcare providers about this disease, providing state-of-the-art care to neuropathy patients, and contributing to basic and clinical research to identify the causes and potential cures for these disorders.
The University of Chicago is a GBS/CIDP Foundation International Center of Excellence (Director: Betty Soliven, MD). In addition, Dr. Rezania has a special interest in amyloid neuropathy and collaborates with our cardiologists who treat cardiac amyloidosis. Dr. Lara works closely with Dr. Jeffrey Stepan (Ortho), the Director of the Brachial Plexus & Complex Nerve clinic.
Neuromuscular Genetics Program & MDA Clinic
(Director: Betty Soliven, MD, Co-Director: Kourosh Rezania, MD) provides specialized care for patients with metabolic myopathies, myotonic disorders, muscular dystrophies, and other inherited neuromuscular conditions, including spinal muscular atrophy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, and ataxias with neuropathy. For selected patients with complex and challenging genetic disorders, we collaborate with Dr. Sho Yano (Pediatric Neurogenetics) to ensure comprehensive and expert evaluation. Patients are also evaluated by pulmonologists Dr. Alejandra Lastra and Dr. Gorav Sharma, and cardiologist Dr. Gene Kim as needed.