2013 CIRM Annual Report cover page At last week’s governing Board meeting, communications director Kevin McCormack unveiled CIRM’s 2013 annual report. Was that a yawn I just heard, dear reader? Are you about to click away from this blog? It’s true that annual reports can be bulky tomes that make better dust collectors than reading … Continue reading The 2013 CIRM Annual Report
Month: March 2014
A mother’s plea – find a stem cell therapy to help my son escape autism
When a mother says “I’ve never heard my son speak, never heard him tell me he loves me” it’s hard not to feel deeply moved.Those are the words that Jennifer Bidlovski used to describe her son Milo, who has a severe form of autism spectrum disorder, in a video presentation she made to our Board … Continue reading A mother’s plea – find a stem cell therapy to help my son escape autism
Great chance to learn more about modeling diseases using stem cells
A webinar later this morning will address a topic we frequently write about: the power of using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to create laboratory models of diseases. Those models help us understand the cause of the disease and look for ways to treat it. This relatively simple process takes tissue—usually a skin sample or … Continue reading Great chance to learn more about modeling diseases using stem cells
Stem cells may help ease depression, anxiety and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
Ask anyone what the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are and the first thing they’ll almost certainly say is loss of memory. It’s not surprising, it’s that fear of losing our memories, losing our sense of self, that makes it such a terrifying disease. But Alzheimer’s has many other symptoms - such as anger, depression, anxiety … Continue reading Stem cells may help ease depression, anxiety and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
Nine reasons why the biotech world loves L.A.
Los Angeles - biopharma business hubMagazines love to use numbers in titles to attract attention. You know the kind, “Top Ten Tips for Trimmer Hips”, “Six Ways to Slim for Swimsuits”, “Five Steps to Perfect Abs”. But here’s a headline you probably won’t see on a magazine cover in the supermarket checkout line – Top … Continue reading Nine reasons why the biotech world loves L.A.
Deep brain stimulation may help advanced Parkinson’s patients by producing new stem cells
The fact that the symptoms of advanced Parkinson’s disease patients improve after implantation of electrodes has always felt a bit like voodoo to me. But this “deep brain stimulation” works. The dyskinesias, the involuntary muscle tics, that plague these patients improve after the implants. Now, a team of scientists from the University of Florida and … Continue reading Deep brain stimulation may help advanced Parkinson’s patients by producing new stem cells
Best of the blog: Progress in liver disease
Liver disease has many causes ranging from various types of hepatitis to genetic mutations and alcohol damage. But when any of these causes lead to severe disease, the patients often find themselves on waiting lists for liver transplants. There are currently 16,000 people in the U.S. on that list and many of them will die … Continue reading Best of the blog: Progress in liver disease
Guest blogger Alan Trounson — February’s stem cell research highlights
This month’s report discusses two different approaches to getting our own cells to do a better job of regenerating tissue needed to repair cellular damage¬—at least in mice. One team found a way to get poorly functioning old muscle stem cells to behave more like vigorous young muscle stem cells. In the other, a team … Continue reading Guest blogger Alan Trounson — February’s stem cell research highlights
Fresh start for hearts – how stem cells could turn the tide against end stage heart failure
Heart muscle cell made from reprogrammed skin cells“Six year old Sierra Bingham had the flu.” It’s a simple opening line to a story that quickly takes on a nightmarish twist. It’s about an Oregon family with four children. Because of a hereditary condition two of those children ended up getting heart transplants, and a third … Continue reading Fresh start for hearts – how stem cells could turn the tide against end stage heart failure