• When Jennifer Spengler, co-owner of studio m La Lolla, a portrait photography studio located in Bird Rock, crossed the finish line of the P.F. Chang’s Arizona Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon in last January, she not only fulfilled a personal goal, she also celebrated her total donation of $13,400 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Spengler trained with LLS’s Team In Training (TNT), the world’s largest endurance sports training program. In exchange for training, runner raise money for the society. “I chose to join TNT for two reasons,” said Spengler, who lives in Bird Rock. “I was nearing my 40th birthday and I really wanted to do something epic — like run a marathon. And I wanted to honor my father, Jerry Roe, who valiantly fought and later lost his battle to Leukemia when I was 12 and he was only 48.” Spengler has once again joined a TNT team and will run the San Diego Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon on June 5. Her fundraising goal for this race is $10,000 and she’s just received some special help. Spengler’s husband, Michael, is an award-winning photographer who specializes in the portrait and commercial photography of babies, kids and teens. He has decided to support his wife’s goal not only through caring for their three young children while Jennifer trains, but by giving a complimentary studio session for every $50 donated. A donation of $100 receives a complimentary session on location or in the studio and an 8-by-10-inch portrait. In addition, $250 donations are acknowledged with a complimentary session, an 8-by-10-inch portrait and a DVD slideshow of all images. A donation of $500 earns donors all of that plus 50 percent off a printable CD of all images. Each complimentary package is valid through June 30, and certificates will be mailed to donors once the donation is posted to the fundraising site (http://pages.teamin training.org/sd/rnr11/jspenglerr). For more information, call (858) 454-0331 or email Jennifer Spengler at [email protected]. • Michael Croft, Ph.D., a researcher at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, has discovered a molecule’s previously unknown role as a major trigger for airway remodeling, which impairs lung function, making the molecule a promising therapeutic target for chronic asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and several other lung conditions. A scientific paper on Croft’s finding was published online April 17 in the prestigious journal, Nature Medicine. The finding marks Croft’s second major discovery with therapeutic potential for asthma. His previous finding, of a novel molecular mechanism driving lung inflammation, is the basis for a potential asthma treatment now in Phase II human clinical trials. “Dr. Croft’s continued efforts to uncover the cellular pathways influencing asthma and other lung disorders have produced remarkable results,” said Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., La Jolla Institute president and chief scientific officer. “He is a researcher of the highest caliber and I believe his discoveries will someday improve the lives of millions of people around the world.” In his “Nature Medicine” paper, titled “The tumor necrosis factor family member LIGHT is a target for asthmatic airway remodeling,” Croft showed that blocking LIGHT’s interactions with its two receptors significantly inhibited the process of airway remodeling in mouse models of chronic asthma. Airway remodeling refers to inflammation-fueled structural changes in the lungs, including fibrosis, which can occur over time and result in declining lung function that strongly contributes to conditions such as COPD, chronic asthma and several other respiratory disorders. Asthma affects more than 20 million Americans, including nine million children, and is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among U.S. children under age 15. According to federal officials, asthma results in $14 billion annually in U.S. health care costs. COPD is one of the most common lung diseases and comes in two main forms, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. More than 12 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD.
