THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST
This year was a momentous one for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). We celebrated the passage of Proposition 14, and as a result, introduced our new strategic plan and added a group of talented individuals to our team.
We shared our most exciting updates and newsworthy stories—topics ranging from stem cell research to diversity in science—right here on The Stem Cellar. Nearly 100,000 readers followed along throughout the year!
In case you missed them, here’s a recap of our most popular blogs of 2021. We look forward to covering even more topics in 2022 and send a sincere thank you to our wonderful Stem Cellar readers for tuning in!
- Type 1 Diabetes Therapy Gets Go-Ahead for Clinical Trial
This past year, ViaCyte and CRISPR Therapeutics put their heads together to develop a novel treatment for type 1 diabetes (T1D). The result was an implantable device containing embryonic stem cells that develop into pancreatic progenitor cells, which are precursors to the islet cells destroyed by T1D. The hope is that when this device is transplanted under a patient’s skin, the progenitor cells will develop into mature insulin-secreting cells that can properly regulate the glucose levels in a patient’s blood.
- CIRM Builds Out World Class Team With 5 New hires
After the Passage of Proposition 14 in 2020, CIRM set ambitious goals as part of our new strategic plan. To help meet these goals and new responsibilities, we added a new group of talented individuals with backgrounds in legal, finance, human resources, project management, and more. The CIRM team will continue to grow in 2022, as we add more team members who will work to fulfil our mission of accelerating world class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and world.
- Meet Xenobots 2.0 – the Next Generation of Living Robots
In 2020, we wrote about how researchers at the University of Vermont and Tufts University were able to create what they call xenobots – the world’s first living, self-healing robots created from frog stem cells. Fast forward to 2021: the same team created an upgraded version of these robots that they have dubbed Xenobots 2.0. These upgraded robots can self-assemble a body from single cells, do not require muscle cells to move, and demonstrate the capability to record memory. Interesting stuff!
- CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for ALS
In June, CIRM’s governing Board awarded $11.99 million to Cedars-Sinai to fund a clinical trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Clive Svendsen, Ph.D. and his team will be conducting a trial that uses a combined cell and gene therapy approach as a treatment for ALS. The trial builds upon CIRM’s first ALS trial, also conducted by Cedars-Sinai and Svendsen.
- COVID is a Real Pain in the Ear
Viral infections are a known cause of hearing loss and other kinds of infection. That’s why before the pandemic started, Dr. Konstantina Stantovic at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Dr. Lee Gherke at MIT had been studying how and why things like measles, mumps and hepatitis affected people’s hearing. After COVID hit, they heard reports of patients experiencing sudden hearing loss and other problems, so they decided to take a closer look.
And there you have it: The Stem Cellar’s top blog posts of 2021! If you’re looking for more ways to get the latest updates from The Stem Cellar and CIRM, follow us on social media on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
The Stem Cellar 