Don Reed, whose son has a spinal cord injury, speaks with CIRM chairman Jonathan Thomas at the public symposiumWe used the words “progress and promise” in the title for our public event last week, but from the looks on the faces of the patient advocates as they registered and entered the ballroom we should have … Continue reading Advocates’ faces set the tone for CIRM’s public symposium

Geoff Symmonds of Calimmune was available to answer questions about HIV/AIDS researchGeoff Symonds of Calimmune, shown here, is just one of about 20 scientists who attended a public symposium last Thursday night to answer questions about our disease therapies.We held the event as part of our semi-annual grantee meeting, which brings together stem cell scientists … Continue reading Public event brought together stem cell scientists and the public

CIRM Chairman Jonathan Thomas discussing CIRM policies and progress with the San Diego Union TribuneLast week, several people from CIRM met with the San Diego Union Tribune editorial board. 2013 being what it is, one of the reporters who attended that meeting also recorded video, took photos and produced a photo/video journalism account of the … Continue reading CIRM discusses progress with the San Diego Union Tribune: video answers

Joshua Goulart, playing Little LeagueI thought of Joshua when this week’s rainstorm walloped the Bay Area. He must have been thrilled. He loves big storms, strong winds and anything associated with the force of nature. Maybe that’s because he is a force of nature. Joshua was born without a left ventricle, essentially half a heart, … Continue reading Born with half a heart but full of life and hope for the future

These embryonic stem cells were generated from embryos left over from people undergoing IVF. Image: Prue Talbot at the University of California, RiversideThe New Mexico Senate has passed a measure that would allow people to donate embryos left over after in vitro fertilization for use in stem cell research. Without this measure, people in New … Continue reading New Mexico says yes to donating excess IVF embryos for stem cell research

The top middle panel shows endogenous pluripotent somatic (ePS) cells, which can give rise to many tissue derivatives, including pancreas, bone, intestine, breast and cartilage cells. Graphic courtesy of Tlsty Lab, UCSFRon Leuty of the San Francisco Business Times wrote a long story this week about a breakthrough by one of CIRM’s grantees at UCSF, … Continue reading CIRM grantee at UCSF discovers new, flexible stem cell

So, let’s say one of our grantees generates a type of stem cell in the lab that could replace or repair cells that go awry in diseases of the brain. Good news, right? But how do you suppose scientists are going to get those cells where they are needed? Simply squirting a syringe-full of cells … Continue reading Flexible needle delivers stem cells where they are needed in the brain

Last year, CIRM grantee Tony Wyss-Coray of Stanford University and the Palo Alto Institute for Research and Education published a paper based on his CIRM Basic Biology Award called “Neural progenitor cells regulate microglia functions and activity.”Stay with me here. Despite the title it’s actually a really interesting paper. How, you ask? Well, UCSF graduate … Continue reading A little white board magic turns complicated science understandable