As the New Year fast approaches, it’s time for us to reflect on our accomplishments these past 12 months. 2017 was an exciting and successful year for California’s Stem Cell Agency. We welcomed Dr. Maria Millan as the new President and CEO of CIRM. We also funded 16 new clinical trials and added two new … Continue reading The 10 Most Popular Stem Cellar Stories of 2017
Month: December 2017
Making beating heart cells from stem cells just got easier
Here’s a heartwarming story for the holidays. Scientists from the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California have figured out a simple, easy way to make beating heart cells from human stem cells that will aid research and therapy development for heart disease. Their study, which received funding support from CIRM, was published last week in … Continue reading Making beating heart cells from stem cells just got easier
Harnessing the body’s immune system to tackle cancer
Often on the Stem Cellar we write about work that is in a clinical trial. But getting research to that stage takes years and years of dedicated work. Over the next few months, we are profiling some of the scientists we fund who are doing Discovery (early stage) and Translational (pre-clinical) research, to highlight the … Continue reading Harnessing the body’s immune system to tackle cancer
CHLA study explains how stem cells slow progression of kidney disorder
Not all stem cell-based therapies act by replacing diseased or damaged cells. Many treatments in clinical development rely on the injected stem cells releasing proteins which trigger the slow down or even reversal of damage caused by disease or injury. A new CIRM-funded study that’s developing a stem cell therapy for a rare kidney disease … Continue reading CHLA study explains how stem cells slow progression of kidney disorder
Budgeting for the future of the stem cell agency
Budgets are very rarely exciting things; but they are important. For example, it’s useful for a family to know when they go shopping exactly how much money they have so they know how much they can afford to spend. Stem cell agencies face the same constraints; you can’t spend more than you have. Last week … Continue reading Budgeting for the future of the stem cell agency
UCLA scientists on track to develop a stem cell replacement therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Last year, we wrote about a CIRM-funded team at UCLA that’s on a mission to develop a stem cell treatment for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Today, we bring you an exciting update on this research just in time for the holidays (Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah and Kwanza to our readers!). DMD is … Continue reading UCLA scientists on track to develop a stem cell replacement therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Stem Cell Stories that Caught Our Eye: GPS for Skin & Different Therapies for Aging vs. Injured Muscles?
Skin stem cells specialize into new skin by sensing neighborhood crowding When embarking on a road trip, the GPS technology inside our smartphones helps us know where we are and how to get where we’re going. The stem cells buried in the deepest layers of our skin don’t have a GPS and yet, they do … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught Our Eye: GPS for Skin & Different Therapies for Aging vs. Injured Muscles?
jCyte Shares Encouraging Update on Clinical Trial for Retinitis Pigmentosa
Stepping out of the darkness into light. That’s how patients are describing their experience after participating in a CIRM-funded clinical trial targeting a rare form of vision loss called retinitis pigmentosa (RP). jCyte, the company conducting the trial, announced 12 month results for its candidate stem cell-based treatment for RP. RP is a genetic disorder … Continue reading jCyte Shares Encouraging Update on Clinical Trial for Retinitis Pigmentosa
A new study suggests CRISPR gene editing therapies should be customized for each patient
You know a scientific advance is a big deal when it becomes the main premise and title of a Jennifer Lopez-produced TV drama. That’s the case for CRISPR, a revolutionary gene-editing technology that promises to yield treatments for a wide range of genetic diseases. In fact, clinical trials using the CRISPR method are already underway … Continue reading A new study suggests CRISPR gene editing therapies should be customized for each patient
Using the AIDS virus to help children battling a deadly immune disorder
More than 35 million people around the world have been killed by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. So, it’s hard to think that the same approach the virus uses to infect cells could also be used to help children battling a deadly immune system disorder. But that’s precisely what researchers at UC San Francisco … Continue reading Using the AIDS virus to help children battling a deadly immune disorder
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