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. Latest mini-organ, a prostate, fingers BPA. A team at the University of Illinois, at Chicago, has added the prostate gland to the growing list of … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Prostate cancer and BPA, mini organs and diabetes trial
Month: July 2015
Training scientists to speak everyday English
Getting a start in your chosen career is never easy. Without experience it’s hard to get a job. And without a job you can’t get experience. That’s why the CIRM Bridges program was created, to help give undergraduate and Master’s level students a chance to get the experience they need to start a career in … Continue reading Training scientists to speak everyday English
Even the early worm gets old: study unlocks a key to aging
A new study poses the question, ‘When does aging really begin?’ One glance in the mirror every morning is enough for me to know that regardless of where it begins I know where it’s going. And it’s not pretty. But enough about me. Getting back to the question about aging, two researchers at Northwestern University … Continue reading Even the early worm gets old: study unlocks a key to aging
Sonic Hedgehog provides pathway to fight blood cancers
For a lot of people Sonic Hedgehog is a video game. But for stem cell researcher Dr. Catriona Jamieson it is a signaling pathway in the body that offers a way to tackle and defeat some deadly blood cancers. Dr. Jamieson - a researcher at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - has a … Continue reading Sonic Hedgehog provides pathway to fight blood cancers
Improving process drives progress in stem cell research
Process is not a sexy word. No one gets excited thinking about improving a process. Yet behind every great idea, behind every truly effective program is someone who figured out a way to improve the process, to make that idea not just work, but work better. It’s not glamorous. Sometimes it’s not even pretty. But … Continue reading Improving process drives progress in stem cell research
Cranking up stem cell production for when therapies are approved for widespread use
Getting a cell therapy from the research bench to patients requires leaping many hurdles. Perhaps two of the highest arise when proving the potential therapy is safe enough to begin clinical trials and then when scaling up production to meet the demand of thousands of patients. An even dozen CIRM-funded projects have made it over … Continue reading Cranking up stem cell production for when therapies are approved for widespread use
Mini-Brains Help Unlock Autism’s Secrets
Some diseases like sickle cell anemia, an inherited blood disorder, can be traced to a single known genetic mutation. But other diseases like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), are so varied in their symptoms and severity that pinpointing the underlying cause is extremely complicated. People with autism typically have difficulties communicating with the world around them, … Continue reading Mini-Brains Help Unlock Autism’s Secrets
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: fixing defects we got from mom, lung repair and staunching chronic nerve pain
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. Two ways to clean up mitochondrial defects. Every student gets it drilled into them that we get half our genes from mom and half from … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: fixing defects we got from mom, lung repair and staunching chronic nerve pain
Pushing Stem Cell Research Forward
For the last few weeks CIRM has been doing a lot of introspection as we develop a new Strategic Plan, pushing stem cell research forward. Patient Advocate meeting in Los Angeles:Photo courtesy Cristy Lytal USC Patients Advocates But we haven’t done this alone. We traveled to San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to meet … Continue reading Pushing Stem Cell Research Forward
Moving Beyond Current CIRM Funding
Delivering on CIRM’s mission of “accelerating stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs” requires multiple stakeholders across the research, development, and commercialization phases of bringing a new product to market. In this post, I am pleased to highlight two recent examples of CIRM-funded projects that have moved beyond CIRM funding by partnering with … Continue reading Moving Beyond Current CIRM Funding