CIRM lost its voice this weekend. Sunday evening, our beloved Director of Patient Advocacy and frequent face and voice of the Institute, Kevin McCormack, passed away unexpectedly, leaving an unfillable void in our hearts. As our chief chronicler of CIRM milestones and celebrator of patients, Kevin brought his unique brand of grace, style and humor … Continue reading In Memory of Kevin McCormack
The second session of the World Stem Cell Summit in Atlanta moved past all the promising science and right to the nitty-gritty of making cell-based therapies common. Four panelists reminded the audience that while they too are super excited by the potential for this field, unless folks developing therapies think about reimbursement early those therapies … Continue reading The bottom line: stem cell therapies will never be widely available if insurers won’t pay for them
The question of whether human germline modification, or the genetic modification of human reproductive cells, should be allowed or banned was discussed by a panel of experts in the Ethics, Law and Society session during Day 1 of the World Stem Cell Summit. On the panel were Aubrey de Grey, Chief Science Officer of the … Continue reading To modify, or not to modify: Experts discuss human germline modification at WSCS15
At CIRM, our goal is to bring stem cell therapies to patients with unmet medical needs, and we do that by funding the most promising and innovative research in regenerative medicine. A critical component of this goal is to support our patient advocates and make sure that their voices are heard. At this year’s World … Continue reading The Critical Role of Patient Advocates in Accelerating Stem Cell Cures
FDA Deputy Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf talking at the World Stem Cell Summit The World Stem Cell Summit annual conference in Atlanta kicked off today with a clarion call from Dr. Robert Califf, the Deputy Commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration. He told the audience: “We want you to accelerate translation to produce safe … Continue reading Call to Action by FDA at World Stem Cell Summit
L to R: Don Gibbons, CIRM; Jeanne Loring; Beth Roxland; Aaron Levine In the last few years some 24 states have approved so-called “Right to Try” laws. These are intended to give terminally ill patients faster and easier access to experimental therapies. But a panel of experts at the World Stem Cell Summit in Atlanta … Continue reading Why “Right to Try” laws are more feel good than do good
The Stem Cellar 