Brain organoids in a petri dish: photo courtesy UCSD For several years, researchers have been able to take stem cells and use them to make three dimensional structures called organoids. These are a kind of mini organ that scientists can then use to study what happens in the real thing. For example, creating kidney organoids … Continue reading “Brains” in a dish that can create electrical impulses
Month: August 2019
Bridges to the Future: 10 Years and Counting!
Bridges conference 2019 When Californians voted for Proposition 71 in 2004, they were investing in hope… the hope that unraveling the mysteries of stem cells could lead to new types of treatments and perhaps one day, even cures for some of the most devastating illnesses and injuries known to mankind. Making this hope a reality, … Continue reading Bridges to the Future: 10 Years and Counting!
CIRM board member Lauren Miller Rogen appointed to California Alzheimer’s Task Force
Lauren Miller Rogen, Hilarity for Charity co-founder and CIRM Board Member California has the largest aging population in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau has estimated that one in five Californians will be 65 or older by the year 2030. Unfortunately with age comes a wide of health related issues that can arise such … Continue reading CIRM board member Lauren Miller Rogen appointed to California Alzheimer’s Task Force
A future scientist’s journey
All this week we have been highlighting blogs from our SPARK (Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative medicine Knowledge) students. SPARK gives high school students a chance to spend their summer working in a world class stem cell research facility here in California. In return they write about their experiences and what they learned. The standard … Continue reading A future scientist’s journey
Mind altering, life changing experience in stem cell lab
This week we are featuring the best blogs from our SPARK (Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative medicine Knowledge) students. SPARK gives high school students a chance to spend their summer working in a world class stem cell research facility here in California. In return they write about their experiences and what they learned. The blog … Continue reading Mind altering, life changing experience in stem cell lab
Time and money and advancing stem cell research
The human genome Way back in the 1990’s scientists were hard at work decoding the human genome, trying to map and understand all the genes that make up people. At the time there was a sense of hope, a feeling that once we had decoded the genome, we’d have cures for all sorts of things … Continue reading Time and money and advancing stem cell research
Next generation of stem cell scientists leave their mark
One of the favorite events of the year for the team here at CIRM is our annual SPARK (Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge) conference. This is where high school students, who spent the summer interning at world class stem cell research facilities around California, get to show what they learned. It’s always an … Continue reading Next generation of stem cell scientists leave their mark
Boosting the blood system after life-saving therapy
Following radiation, the bone marrow shows nearly complete loss of blood cells in mice (left). Mice treated with the PTP-sigma inhibitor displayed rapid recovery of blood cells (purple, right): Photo Courtesy UCLA Chemotherapy and radiation are two of the front-line weapons in treating cancer. They can be effective, even life-saving, but they can also be … Continue reading Boosting the blood system after life-saving therapy
Drug used to treat multiple sclerosis may improve glioblastoma outcomes
Dr. Jeremy Rich, UC San Diego Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of cancer that invades brain tissue, making it extremely difficult to treat. Current therapies involving radiation and chemotherapy are effective in destroying the bulk of brain cancer cells, but they are not able to reach the brain cancer stem cells, which have the ability … Continue reading Drug used to treat multiple sclerosis may improve glioblastoma outcomes
Stem cell progress and promise in fighting leukemia
Computer illustration of a cancerous white blood cell in leukemia. There is nothing you can do to prevent or reduce your risk of leukemia. That’s not a very reassuring statement considering that this year alone almost 62,000 Americans will be diagnosed with leukemia; almost 23,000 will die from the disease. That’s why CIRM is funding … Continue reading Stem cell progress and promise in fighting leukemia
The Stem Cellar 