With an eye toward 2020, CIRM looks at clinical milestones achieved in 2016

One year ago, CIRM announced its strategic plan for the next five years. It’s a bold vision to maximize our impact in stem cell research by accelerating stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. Our strategic plan, which can be found on our website, details how CIRM will invest in five main program … Continue reading With an eye toward 2020, CIRM looks at clinical milestones achieved in 2016

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: insights into stem cell biology through telomeres, reprogramming and lung disease

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. Telomeres and stem cell stability: too much of a good thing Just like those plastic tips at the end of shoelaces (fun fact: they’re called … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: insights into stem cell biology through telomeres, reprogramming and lung disease

Why Goldilocks could provide the answer to changing the way FDA regulates stem cells

One of the hottest topics of the past year in regenerative medicine has been the discussion about the need for regulatory reform at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so it’s no surprise that topic was the subject of the first main panel discussion at the 2016 World Stem Cell Summit in West Palm Beach, … Continue reading Why Goldilocks could provide the answer to changing the way FDA regulates stem cells

How stem cells are helping change the face of medicine, one pioneering patient at a time

One of the many great pleasures of my job is that I get to meet so many amazing people. I get to know the researchers who are changing the face of medicine, but even more extraordinary are the people who are helping them do it, the patients. Attacking Cancer It’s humbling to meet people like … Continue reading How stem cells are helping change the face of medicine, one pioneering patient at a time

Translating great stem cell ideas into effective therapies

In science, there are a lot of terms that could easily mystify people without a research background; “translational” is not one of them. Translational research simply means to take findings from basic research and advance them into something that is ready to be tested in people in a clinical trial. Yesterday our Governing Board approved … Continue reading Translating great stem cell ideas into effective therapies

A single protein can boost blood stem cell regeneration

Today, CIRM-funded scientists from the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center reported  in Nature Medicine that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) - blood stem cells that generate the cell in your blood and immune system - get a helping hand after injury from cells in the bone marrow called bone progenitor cells. By secreting a protein called dickkopf-1 … Continue reading A single protein can boost blood stem cell regeneration

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: glowing stem cells and new insights into Zika and SCID

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. Glowing stem cells help scientists understand how cells work. (Karen Ring) It’s easy to notice when something is going wrong. It’s a lot harder to … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: glowing stem cells and new insights into Zika and SCID

Key Steps Along the Way To Finding Treatments for HIV on World AIDS Day

Today, December 1st,  is World AIDS Day. It's a day to acknowledge the progress that is being made in HIV prevention and treatment around the world but also to renew our commitment to a future free of HIV. This year's theme is Leadership. Commitment. Impact.  At CIRM we are funding a number of projects focused … Continue reading Key Steps Along the Way To Finding Treatments for HIV on World AIDS Day