Image source: Shutterstock Nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s disease, which causes progressive symptoms including tremors, stiffness, and gait and balance issues. Although there are medications to treat symptoms, the disease has no cure. CIRM's support for potential Parkinson's treatments To date, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has … Continue reading New gene therapy for early-onset Parkinson’s
Month: April 2025
How a childhood condition sparked a career in regenerative medicine
CIRM Scholar Dongwei Sun, PhD (left), with his mentor Huinan Liu, PhD, professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside. As a child, Dongwei Sun received a medical treatment that left his lower limbs weak and sometimes numb. “This experience inspired my dedication to develop biomedical technologies to prevent, treat, and potentially cure debilitating … Continue reading How a childhood condition sparked a career in regenerative medicine
A patient’s journey with an epilepsy stem cell therapy
Justin Graves diving by the Grand Cayman Islands In 2007, Justin Graves was working at a SCUBA shop in Louisville, Kentucky, when he had his first epileptic seizure. "SCUBA diving has just been something I've loved my whole life," he said. "My whole family loves it." Medication not always effective Justin had to give up … Continue reading A patient’s journey with an epilepsy stem cell therapy
Filling gaps in federal research funding with a focus on neurological diseases
Over the past 20 years, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has supercharged research in California in ways that have often filled gaps in federal research funding and most recently by focusing on gaps in neurological disease. A few different factors are limiting biomedical research funding across the United States. In addition to recent … Continue reading Filling gaps in federal research funding with a focus on neurological diseases
20 Years of CIRM: From building the infrastructure to clinical trials
Californians voted to support stem cell research 20 years ago. Now we’re building on what we’ve created through the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Their initial $3 billion investment through Proposition 71 paved the way for voters to approve Proposition 14 in 2020. That added another $5.5 billion to advance the science. CIRM will … Continue reading 20 Years of CIRM: From building the infrastructure to clinical trials