A urethral stricture is scarring of the tube that carries urine out of the body. If left untreated it can be intensely painful and lead to kidney stones and infections. That's why the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is investing more than $3.8 million in a Phase 1 clinical trial … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency funds clinical trial targeting scarred urethras
Month: July 2022
Fighting for his life and the lives of other stroke survivors
Sean Entin, stroke survivor and founder of Stroke Hacker The word "miraculous" gets tossed around a lot in the world of medicine, mostly by people who have made an unexpected recovery from a deadly or life-threatening condition. In Sean Entin's case calling his recovery from an almost-fatal stroke could be called miraculous, but I think … Continue reading Fighting for his life and the lives of other stroke survivors
The present and future of regenerative medicine
One of the great pleasures of my job is getting to meet the high school students who take part in our SPARK or Summer Internship to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge program. It's a summer internship for high school students where they get to spend a couple of months working in a world class stem cell … Continue reading The present and future of regenerative medicine
Study reveals new evidence of key mechanism in Alzheimer’s
In California, 690,000 people aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease and the most common form of dementia. In the United States, 5.8 million people aged 65 and older live with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's affects memory, thinking and behavior and symptoms eventually grow in severity to interfere with daily tasks. … Continue reading Study reveals new evidence of key mechanism in Alzheimer’s
Why people seek out unproven and potentially unsafe stem cell treatments
Every day I field phone calls and emails from people looking for a stem cell therapy to help them cope with everything from arthritis to cancer. Often, they will mention that they saw an ad for a clinic online or in a local newspaper claiming they had stem cell therapies that could help fix anything … Continue reading Why people seek out unproven and potentially unsafe stem cell treatments
Reminder! Apply now for discovery stage stem cell and gene therapy research funding
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is seeking applications for its next round of Quest Awards (DISC2) for discovery stage research. Applications are due August 2nd, 2022, at 2:00 PM PDT. Please visit the CIRM website for full details. The purpose of the Quest Awards is to promote the discovery of promising new stem cell-based or gene therapy … Continue reading Reminder! Apply now for discovery stage stem cell and gene therapy research funding
Using stem cells and smart machines to warn of heart problems
Despite advances in treatments in recent years heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the US. It accounts for one in three deaths in this country, and many people are not even aware they have a problem until they have a heart attack. One of the early warning signs of danger is a … Continue reading Using stem cells and smart machines to warn of heart problems
CIRM’s SPARK internship program provides California high school students with hands-on training in stem cell research
SPARK student intern Simran O. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is dedicated to building a diverse and highly-skilled workforce to support the growing regenerative medicine economy right here in California. One of the ways we do this is through our SPARK educational internship program. The SPARK awards—also known as the Summer Program to … Continue reading CIRM’s SPARK internship program provides California high school students with hands-on training in stem cell research
A big deal for type 1 diabetes
It’s not often you get excited talking about company mergers, but a deal announced today is something worth getting excited about, particularly if you have type 1 diabetes (T1D). Today Vertex announced it was buying ViaCyte for $320 million in cash. Why is that important? Because both companies are working on developing stem cell therapies … Continue reading A big deal for type 1 diabetes
Celebrating academic success and overcoming obstacles
Congratulations to Yasmine Arafa (she/hers), a CIRM Bridges Student Intern at UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures! She recently graduated from California State University-Sacramento, officially concluding her Master’s degree and Fulbright Association journey. She conducted research with the aim of developing new therapeutic approaches for rare diseases. Yasmine says, "I have finally passed my thesis defense and am … Continue reading Celebrating academic success and overcoming obstacles
The Stem Cellar 