CIRM-funded study helps unlock some of the genetic secrets behind macular degeneration

May 10, 2019 / Kevin McCormack / Leave a comment

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 60. It affects 10 million Americans. That’s more than cataracts and glaucoma combined. The causes of AMD are not known but are believed to involve a mixture of hereditary and environmental factors. There is no treatment for it. Now, in a … Continue reading CIRM-funded study helps unlock some of the genetic secrets behind macular degeneration

Stem Cell Patch Restores Vision in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

March 20, 2018 / Karen Ring / 16 Comments

Two UK patients suffering from vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have regained their sight thanks to a stem cell-based retinal patch developed by researchers from UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). The preliminary results of this promising Phase 1 clinical study were published yesterday in the journal Nature Biotechnology. AMD is one of the … Continue reading Stem Cell Patch Restores Vision in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

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

November 24, 2015January 12, 2016 / 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

Finding a therapy for macular degeneration

August 31, 2012June 27, 2014 / cirmweb / 1 Comment

One thing about working at CIRM is that you meet a lot of amazing people living with a lot of disease that are all in need of cures. One of those people I’ve met is Virginia Knepper-Doyle, who has the most common cause of blindness in older people called macular degeneration. We went to her … Continue reading Finding a therapy for macular degeneration

Bakersfield residents learn about stem cell progress in aging, macular degeneration

October 24, 2011 / cirmweb / 1 Comment

This weekend CIRM hosted an educational event in Bakersfield to update people on the progress being made by CIRM grantees. The event featured a keynote address by board chair Jonathan Thomas plus talks by grantees working on age-related diseases including blindness. Although CIRM holds board meetings throughout California, this is the first time people in … Continue reading Bakersfield residents learn about stem cell progress in aging, macular degeneration

ACT files to test embryonic stem cell-based therapy for macular degeneration

November 30, 2010 / cirmweb / 4 Comments

Advanced Cell Technology has filed an application with the FDA to begin an early phase trial of an embryonic stem cell-based therapy for macular degeneration. If the company name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same company that on November 22 received FDA approval to begin a trial for Stargardt’s macular degeneration. Both trials are … Continue reading ACT files to test embryonic stem cell-based therapy for macular degeneration

CIRM-funded research aims to create a platform to test therapies for AMD

September 4, 2020 / Yimy Villa / 1 Comment

Our vision is one of the most important senses that we use in our everyday lives. Whether its to help somebody perform complex surgeries or soak in a beautiful impressionist painting, a layer of cells in the back of the eye called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) provide support to photoreceptors (PRs), specialized cells that … Continue reading CIRM-funded research aims to create a platform to test therapies for AMD

Helping the blind see – mice that is

April 22, 2020April 22, 2020 / Kevin McCormack / Leave a comment

When I first saw the headline for this story I thought of the nursery rhyme about the three blind mice. Finally, they’ll be able to see the farmer’s wife coming at them with a carving knife. But the real-world implications are of this are actually pretty exciting. Researchers at the National Institute of Health’s National … Continue reading Helping the blind see – mice that is

You can bank on CIRM

March 16, 2020 / Kevin McCormack / 2 Comments

Way back in 2013, the CIRM Board invested $32 million in a project to create an iPSC Bank. The goal was simple; to collect tissue samples from people who have different diseases, turn those samples into high quality stem cell lines – the kind known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) – and create a … Continue reading You can bank on CIRM

Stem cell treatment restores man’s sight in right eye after 25 years

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 / Yimy Villa / Leave a comment

At 18 years old, there are several life-changing moments that young people look forward to. For some, it involves graduating from high school, starting college, and being able to cast a vote in an election. For others, this momentous occasion symbolizes the official start of adulthood. For James O’ Brien, this milestone was marked by … Continue reading Stem cell treatment restores man’s sight in right eye after 25 years

The Stem Cellar

The Official Blog of CIRM, California's Stem Cell Agency

Search Results for: macular degeneration