EVENTS PUT SPOTLIGHT ON MS DAUGHTER OF MARVIN DAVIS SPEARHEADING EFFORTS TO BEAT THE DISEASE.Byline: Mariko Thompson Staff Writer Nancy Davis will be the belle of the ball at the star-studded 10th annual Race to Erase MS event tonight at the Century Plaza Hotel The Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles is a landmark 19-story luxury hotel forming a sweeping crescent design fronting the spectacular fountains on Avenue of the Stars adjacent to the twin Century Plaza Towers. . Yet for the daughter of billionaire Marvin Davis Marvin H. Davis (August 31, 1925 in Newark, New Jersey – September 25, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California) was American industrialist and philanthropist. He made his fortunes as the chairman of Davis Petroleum and at one time owned 20th Century Fox, Pebble Beach, the Beverly , the real event comes Saturday, when top scientists present the latest research on multiple sclerosis at a public round table. ``The round table is not as visible, but it's what really matters,'' said Davis, the primary force behind one of the city's biggest fund-raising events. ``It is such a great wealth of knowledge to get in one sitting. There's so much happening at such a great pace.'' At the round table, researchers from six universities that make up the Nancy Davis Center Davis Center is a building in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, which features numerous shops and services. The Greensburg branch of the Pennsylvania Drivers License Center is located in the building. It was originally a Sears, Roebuck and Co. Without Walls will discuss their efforts over the past year to find a cure for MS, a chronic degenerative disease A degenerative disease is a disease in which the function or structure of the affected tissues or organs will progressively deteriorate over time, whether due to normal bodily wear or lifestyle choices such as exercise or eating habits. . The collaborative research effort is funded by the Race to Erase MS, which has raised more than $16 million. Tonight's event, expected to raise $2.5 million, features a celebrity auction, a fashion show by Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger (born March 24, 1951 in Elmira, New York) is a world-famous American fashion designer and creator of the eponymous "Tommy Hilfiger" and "Tommy" brands. Biography Hilfiger was born March 24, 1951 and raised in Elmira, New York. , and musical entertainment by Eric Benet and the Four Tops. More than 1,200 people are expected to attend the benefit, hosted by Kelsey Grammer and Jane Leeves. Tony Danza and Tom Arnold will serve as celebrity auctioneers. Items up for bid include a trip for two to Milan, Italy, and an invitation to Arnold's second annual bachelor party. Davis was diagnosed with MS at age 33. She immediately began to work the same fund-raising magic that parents Marvin and Barbara used on behalf of the Democratic Party and the Denver-based Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes. ``I wanted to put my money into important research,'' she said. ``If I didn't, nobody else would do it.'' For Saturday's round table, researchers from the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission , University of California, San Francisco , Harvard, Yale, Cleveland Clinic and Oregon Health Sciences University will gather at 10:30 a.m. at the Century Plaza Hotel. Promising findings include a UCSF UCSF University of California at San Francisco study on the cholesterol-lowering drug cholesterol-lowering drug Therapeutics Any of a family of agents that ↓ serum cholesterol; the most cost-effective agents for lowering LDL-C are nicotinic acid and lovastatin; the most efficient for ↑ HDL-C are nicotinic acid and gemfibrozil Lipitor. When given to mice, Lipitor prevented the disease from progressing and reduced paralysis, which can occur in late stages of multiple sclerosis. This fall, UCSF researchers will launch a clinical trial to test for the same effects in people, said Dr. Scott Zamvil, assistant professor of neurology and lead investigator. The study will enroll 152 patients in the early stages of MS. One appeal of Lipitor is that it is taken orally. Drugs currently available to treat MS are injected. They include Copaxone, beta interferons and Novatrone. Though considered safe, cholesterol-lowering drugs do have potential side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. , including a low risk of liver toxicity and muscle damage. ``We don't advise people to go on (these drugs) on their own,'' said Dr. Emmanuelle Waubant, UCSF assistant professor of neurology and the Nancy Davis Center medical director. ``Just because they worked in the mouse model doesn't mean they'll work in humans. This is very preliminary data.'' An estimated 400,000 Americans suffer from MS, which occurs when inflammation breaks down the protective insulation around the nerve fibers in the central nervous system. Symptoms may include blurred vision, extreme fatigue, loss of balance, tremors, slurred slur tr.v. slurred, slur·ring, slurs 1. To pronounce indistinctly. 2. To talk about disparagingly or insultingly. 3. To pass over lightly or carelessly; treat without due consideration. speech, numbness and bladder problems. MS typically strikes between the ages of 20 and 50 and affects twice as many women than men. ``When we first started, there was not one drug on the market to stop MS,'' Davis said. ``Now it's unfolding so fast. We have a ways to go but we are going to get there.'' IF YOU GO What: Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis Roundtable. When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday Where: Century Plaza Hotel, 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Century City Researchers from University of Southern California, University of California, San Francisco, Harvard, Yale, Cleveland Clinic and Oregon Health Sciences University will discuss the latest findings in the battle against multiple sclerosis. The event is free and open to the public. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Nancy Davis Backs research Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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