Search Results for: blindness

Stem Cell Agency Invests in New Immunotherapy Approach to HIV, Plus Promising Projects Targeting Blindness and Leukemia

/ Kevin McCormack / 8 Comments

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

Throwback Thursday: Progress to a Cure for Diseases of Blindness

/ Karen Ring / Leave a comment

Welcome back to our “Throwback Thursday” series on the Stem Cellar. Over the years, we’ve accumulated an arsenal of exciting stem cell stories about advances towards stem cell-based cures for serious diseases. This month we’re featuring stories about CIRM-funded clinical trials for blindness. 2017 has been an exciting year for two CIRM-funded clinical trials that … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Progress to a Cure for Diseases of Blindness

A stem cell clinical trial for blindness: watch Rosie’s story

/ Todd Dubnicoff / 5 Comments

Everything we do at CIRM is laser-focused on our mission: to accelerate stem cell treatments for patients with unmet medical needs. So, you might imagine what a thrill it is to meet the people who could be helped by the stem cell research we fund. People like Rosie Barrero who suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), … Continue reading A stem cell clinical trial for blindness: watch Rosie’s story

A visual guide on using stem cells to treat blindness

/ Kevin McCormack / 2 Comments

Some stories are so sweet or powerful or wonderful – or all three – that they just stick in your mind. About 18 months ago Rosalinda and German Barrero came to talk to the CIRM Board about retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a devastating genetic disease that slowly destroys a person’s vision. Contrary to what everyone expected … Continue reading A visual guide on using stem cells to treat blindness

In the Race to Cure Blindness, Who Will Cross the Finish Line First Optogenetics or Stem Cells?

/ Karen Ring / 3 Comments

Before you read this blog, I wanted to share a photo that I took (yes with my iPhone 6…) last week of a beautiful sunset at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. I’m showing you this picture not to gloat that I live by the ocean, but to make a point. You’re able to enjoy this … Continue reading In the Race to Cure Blindness, Who Will Cross the Finish Line First Optogenetics or Stem Cells?

From Science Fiction to Science Fact: Gene Editing May Make Personalized Therapies for Blindness

/ Karen Ring / Leave a comment

Have you seen the movie Elysium? It’s a 2013 futuristic science fiction film starring one of my favorite actors Matt Damon. The plot centers on the economic, social and political disparities between two very different worlds: one, an overpopulated earth where people are poor, starving, and have little access to technology or medical care, the … Continue reading From Science Fiction to Science Fact: Gene Editing May Make Personalized Therapies for Blindness

CIRM’s clinical trial portfolio: Two teams tackle blindness, macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa

/ Don Gibbons / 6 Comments

More than seven million people in the US struggle to see. While most are not completely blind they have difficulty with, or simply can’t do, daily tasks most of us take for granted. CIRM has committed more than $100 million to 17 projects trying to solve this unmet medical need. Two of those projects have … Continue reading CIRM’s clinical trial portfolio: Two teams tackle blindness, macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa

Pioneer’s 25-year struggle to treat blindness

/ Kevin McCormack / 1 Comment

Being a pioneer is never easy. You are charting unknown territory, tackling problems that have defeated others before you. You have to overcome so many obstacles that at times the challenge can seem insurmountable. But for those who succeed in reaching their goal, the rewards can be extraordinary. Last month Italian researcher Graziella Pellegrini saw … Continue reading Pioneer’s 25-year struggle to treat blindness

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Some good news got a little overplayed on blindness and Alzheimer’s

/ Don Gibbons / Leave a comment

Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Stories on blindness show too much wide-eyed wonder. While our field got some very good news this week when Advanced Cell Technologies (ACT) published data … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Some good news got a little overplayed on blindness and Alzheimer’s

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: heart disease, blindness and replacement teeth

/ Don Gibbons / Leave a comment

Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Review looks at approaches to blindness. The Scientist published a nice lay level overview of various teams’ work to use stem cells to cure blindness. … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: heart disease, blindness and replacement teeth