At CIRM we have our focus very clearly on the future, on accelerating stem cell therapies to patients with unmet medical needs. But every once in a while, it’s a good idea to look back at what you have already done. Knowing where you came from can help you get to where you are heading.

So, it’s with a sense of accomplishment that we are unveiling our 2017 Annual Report. It’s a look back at another banner year for the stem cell agency, the research we funded, the partnerships we created and, most importantly, the lives we touched.

It features profiles of several people who received stem cell therapies in CIRM-funded clinical trials and the impact those therapies are having on them. But it also looks at some of the other individuals who are such a vital part of the work we do: patient advocates, researchers and a member of our Grants Working Group which reviews applications for funding. Each one, in their own way, contributes to advancing the field.

The report also highlights some of the less obvious ways that our funding is benefitting California. For example, the additional $1.9 billion dollars our funding has helped generate through co-funding and partnerships, or the number of projects we are funding that have been awarded Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy Designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making them eligible for accelerated review if their results continue to be promising.

It’s a look back at a successful year.

But we are not resting on our laurels. We are already hard at work, determined to make 2018 even better.