Pluripotent stem cells, created from human skin or mouse ear tissue, are shown here becoming endoderm cell. The endoderm is one of the three primary germ layers that ultimately contribute to the development of vital organs (liver, pancreas, etc.). The yellow highlights the Sox17 protein, expressed during endoderm development. Cell nuclei are shown in magenta. … Continue reading Grooved surface increases the yeild of iPS cells

Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun.Stem Cells for colitis. A team of British and Danish researcher found a population of intermediate stem cells that divide more readily than the adult stem … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: colitis, ALS, diabetes and scaling up production of nerve cells

Jeff Sheey, HIV/AIDS patient advocate on our governing boardI don't mean to blow our own horn, but... OK, that's exactly what I mean to do. Go us!Two CIRM folks are on fellow blogger Paul Knoepfler's top 12 list of finalists for stem cell person of the year. This is Knoepfler's second year holding this contest, … Continue reading Two CIRM leaders on the top 12 list for stem cell person of the year

Alan TrounsonLeading an organization, any organization, is never an easy task. There are tough decisions to be made at every step along the way, decisions that can affect the future of the organization and the fate of those working for it. And when that organization is pioneering a new way of accelerating a new kind … Continue reading Alan Trounson, scientist and innovator, to step down as President

Joseph Wu of Stanford University and six other scientists will be sending stem cell experiments to the international space stationOne of our grantees will boldly send stem cells where no CIRM grantee has gone before: space, that is.Joseph Wu of Stanford University is the recipient of a Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) award … Continue reading CIRM grantees send stem cell experiments to the international space station

When AIDS first emerged more than 30 years ago, it was considered a death sentence. More than 600,000 people have died of AIDS since the epidemic began. Today, there are more than one million living with HIV in the United States. Now, the HIV/AIDS community is talking about a realistic cure for the disease – … Continue reading Best of the blog: Progress toward an HIV/AIDS cure

Several of CIRM's grantees are located down on the Mesa that's the namesake of the Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa (in La Jolla, near San Diego). Among those is Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, which has several scientists talking about their CIRM-funded work as part of the meeting. Sanford-Burnham wrote in their blog about a … Continue reading CIRM grantees discuss heart failure research at Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa

Named for the La Jolla Torrey Pines Mesa in San Diego, the Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa opened its eighth annual meeting Monday. For the past three years, the original one-day scientific meeting at the Salk Institute, which will take place Wednesday, has been preceded by a two-day partnering forum organized by CIRM and … Continue reading Partnering forum seeks to build the collaborations necessary to bring cell therapies to the market successfully

Periodically we update our Board about progress being made by CIRM grantees who are working on developing new therapies.Of course, all of our awards are given out with the idea that they will speed therapies, but some are actively pursuing known targets and are hoping to start testing them in humans. Those are the awards … Continue reading Update on the progress of our therapies in development

The Berkeley Student Society for Stem Cell Research pulled off a coup Saturday. They filled an auditorium with about 150 people, about two thirds of them looking like students, at 10:00 on a weekend. What’s more, the event featured some serious science and in depth discussion of how scientists of all ages, patients, and members … Continue reading UC students pull together stem cell community and exhort members to stay connected and spread the word