Stem cells and professional sports: a call for more science and less speculation

In the world of professional sports, teams invest tens of millions of dollars in players. Those players are under intense pressure to show a return on that investment for the team, and that means playing as hard as possible for as long as possible. So it’s no surprise that players facing serious injuries will often … Continue reading Stem cells and professional sports: a call for more science and less speculation

How partnering with someone half way around the world could help develop new treatments here in California

Much as we love California, and we really do, even we have to admit that genius knows no boundaries and that great scientific research is taking place all over the world. As our goal as an agency is to accelerate the development of successful therapies for people in need it only makes sense that we … Continue reading How partnering with someone half way around the world could help develop new treatments here in California

Truth or Consequences: how to spot a liar and what to do once you catch them

Publication retractions have increased dramatically in recent years [Credit: PMRetract] Nothing damages science's credibility more than retracting a high‑profile paper. STAP Earlier this year, researchers at Japan’s prestigious Riken Center for Developmental Biology retracted a widely publicized study on STAP cells after discovering that the lead author had falsified data. The STAP incident drew global … Continue reading Truth or Consequences: how to spot a liar and what to do once you catch them

At World Stem Cell Summit: Why results in trials repairing hearts are so uneven

Just as no two people are the same, neither are the cells in their bone marrow, the most common source of stem cells in clinical trials trying to repair damage after a heart attack. Doris Taylor of the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, which is just a couple hours drive from the site of this … Continue reading At World Stem Cell Summit: Why results in trials repairing hearts are so uneven

CIRM-Funded Scripps Team Replicates Pain in a Lab Dish; Seeks New Treatments for Chronic Sufferers

Pain hurts but it also protects. Thanks to nerve cells called sensory neurons, which weave their nerve fibers throughout our skin and other tissues, we are alerted to dangerous events like touching a hot plate or even to the sense of having a full bladder. However, trauma such as a spinal cord injury or diseases … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Scripps Team Replicates Pain in a Lab Dish; Seeks New Treatments for Chronic Sufferers