One of the goals of the stem cell agency is to bring promising therapies into clinical trials, to see if what works in the laboratory can work in people. It’s exciting but challenging work and, like all good science, it takes time. That’s why the news this week from Dr. Eduardo Marban at Cedars-Sinai Heart … Continue reading New approach to healing hearts gets approved for clinical trial

We recently blogged about a Houston Chronicle story revealing a troublesome Food and Drug Administration review of the Texas company Celltex Therapeutics. This is the company that treated Texas Gov. Rick Perry last year. And in previous posts we’ve written about concerns surrounding stem cell tourism – in which unregulated companies overseas promote unproven stem … Continue reading On stem cell clinics, clinical trials, and the pace of progress

A colony of iPS cells, courtesy of Kathrin Plath at the University of California, Los Angeles.There’s a lot of talk these days about studying diseases and finding new drugs using stem cells. The idea is so compelling that CIRM has entered into a partnership with the NIH to create the kinds of cell banks that … Continue reading Parkinson’s neurons susceptible to toxins, preventible with some drugs stem cell studies show

CIRM president Alan Trouson has been in Sydney, Australia at the International Nanomedicine Conference learning about how nanotechnology might benefit stem cell researchers trying to develop new disease therapies.Nanotechnology is, essentially, the study of really small materials. In nanomedicine, those really small materials are put to use to treat patients. Tiny particles can ferry drugs … Continue reading Alan Trounson discusses nanomedicine and progress toward stem cell therapies

CIRM grantee Paul Knoepfler of UC Davis has been blogging about stem cell science. As part of his interest in drumming up public engagement in science he recently held a stem cell essay contest and has posted the two winners to his blog.In the 18 and under category he received an interesting and thoughtful piece … Continue reading Stem cell essays pose questions about self and point to new uses for stem cells