Whenever we hold an in-person Board meeting at CIRM we like to bring along a patient or patient advocate to address the Board. Hearing from the people they are trying to help, who are benefiting or may benefit from a therapy CIRM is funding, reminds them of the real-world implications of the decisions they make … Continue reading Living with sickle cell disease: one person’s story of pain and prejudice and their hopes for a stem cell therapy
Month: October 2018
Mechanical forces are the key to speedy recovery after blood cancer treatment
Blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, are projected to be responsible for 10% of all new cancer diagnoses this year. These types of cancers are often treated by killing the patient’s bone marrow (the site of blood cell manufacturing), with a treatment called irradiation. While effective for ridding the body of cancerous cells, this … Continue reading Mechanical forces are the key to speedy recovery after blood cancer treatment
Stories Caught our Eye: Advances in Brain Radiotherapy, and a New Drug Discovery in Schizophrenia
Avoiding the hippocampus during whole-brain radiotherapy prevents cognitive side effects (Adonica Shaw) Whole-brain radiotherapy can be delivered more safely to patients with brain metastases by avoiding the hippocampus according to a new phase III trial. At the beginning of the study, scientists hypothesized that radiation to the hippocampal stem cells played a role in cognitive … Continue reading Stories Caught our Eye: Advances in Brain Radiotherapy, and a New Drug Discovery in Schizophrenia
How stem cells may help children battling birth injuries
From time to time we invite patients or patient advocates to post a guest blog on the Stem Cellar. Today we are featuring Brigitta Burguess, a mother and writer from Michigan, who focuses on pregnancy, parenting, and children with disabilities. Brigitta writes for the HIE Help Center, a website that offers information and supportive resources … Continue reading How stem cells may help children battling birth injuries
Research Transforming Mature Neurons into Dopamine Factories could Help Fight Brain Diseases
A team of researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center made a startling discovery that could improve patient outcomes for neurological diseases. And they did it completely by accident. Scientists have long believed that turning one type of mature cell into another is impossible without first reverting the original cell back into a … Continue reading Research Transforming Mature Neurons into Dopamine Factories could Help Fight Brain Diseases
Stem Cell Agency Invests in New Immunotherapy Approach to HIV, Plus Promising Projects Targeting Blindness and Leukemia
While we have made great progress in developing therapies that control the AIDS virus, HIV/AIDS remains a chronic condition and HIV medicines themselves can give rise to a new set of medical issues. That’s why the Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded $3.8 million to a team from City of Hope … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Invests in New Immunotherapy Approach to HIV, Plus Promising Projects Targeting Blindness and Leukemia
Sequencing data helps us understand the genes involved in heart cell development
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and is estimated to be responsible for 31% of all deaths globally. This disease encompasses a wide variety of conditions that all effect how well your heart is able to pump blood to the rest of your body. … Continue reading Sequencing data helps us understand the genes involved in heart cell development
Hits and Myths as people celebrate Stem Cell Awareness Day
Every year, the second Wednesday in October is set aside as Stem Cell Awareness Day, a time to celebrate the progress being made in the field and to remind us of the challenges that lie ahead. While the event began here in California in 2008, with then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger highlighting the work of CIRM, saying: … Continue reading Hits and Myths as people celebrate Stem Cell Awareness Day
Join us for our next installment of “Ask The Stem Cell Team” on November 1st.
Visual impairment and vision loss can have a profound impact on a person’s ability to live their life and complete their daily routine. According to the report for the 2016 National Health Interview Survey, 25.5 million Adult Americans 18 and older reported experiencing vision loss. Of these 25.5 million American adults, 15.3 million women and … Continue reading Join us for our next installment of “Ask The Stem Cell Team” on November 1st.
Coproduction : Patient Advocacy Redefined
Almost 15 years ago, California voters via approval of Proposition 71 authorized $3 billion to create the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). CIRM, otherwise known as California’s Stem Cell Agency, accelerates stem cell treatments for patients with unmet medical needs. Along with the fact that CIRM has pioneered the way for cutting edge science, … Continue reading Coproduction : Patient Advocacy Redefined
The Stem Cellar 