Those of you who follow this space have read our opinions on embryonic vs. adult vs. reprogrammed iPS cells. For those of you who don't watch this space, here's our opinion in a nutshell: There is no "vs." All types of stem cells could be therapeutically valuable, and what we learn in one cell type … Continue reading Hit embryonic stem cell research, hurt iPS research too

Blood has been among the most sought after and hardest to achieve tissue that CIRM grantees are attempting to derive from embryonic stem cells. It's an obvious target. The medical system needs a constant influx of blood, which comes entirely from volunteer donors. Creating that blood in an unlimited supply from human embryonic stem cells … Continue reading Blood from stem cells?

Thirty years ago the first reports of a mysterious illness began appearing in the media. This illness would eventually become known as AIDS. CIRM board member Jeff Sheehy recently spoke as part of a KQED Forum radio show about the 30th anniversary of HIV/AIDS. As a long-time AIDS activist, Sheehy has been part of the … Continue reading 30th Anniversary of HIV/AIDS, CIRM teams making progress

Last week we blogged about work by Marius Wernig of Stanford University, who has successfully converted human skin into nerves, skipping the step of first converting the cells into embryonic-like iPS cells. Wernig is quoted in a Nature news story talking about whether the work could replace induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells or embryonic stem … Continue reading Marius Wernig on why we need many stem cell approaches to new therapies

In 2005 Chris Hempel gave birth to twin daughters Cassi and Addi. In 2007, she and her husband learned that their girls had a rare, fatal disease called Neiman Pick Type C.Four years later, Hempel describes herself as a "advocist" for rare diseases. She's an advocate for scientific research but also an activist seeking to … Continue reading Stem cell banking and the making of a patient "advocist"

In 2005 Chris Hempel gave birth to twin daughters Cassi and Addi. In 2007, she and her husband learned that their girls had a rare, fatal disease called Neiman Pick Type C.Four years later, Hempel describes herself as a "advocist" for rare diseases. She's an advocate for scientific research but also an activist seeking to … Continue reading Stem cell banking and the making of a patient “advocist”

Arturo Alvarex-Buylla, PhDCIRM grantee and UCSF professor Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, PhD, won the prestigious 2011 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research for his work with neural stem cells. He is credited with first discovering the regenerative cells in the brains of mammals, work that laid the groundwork for a number of CIRM grants … Continue reading CIRM grantee Alvarez-Buylla wins 2011 Prince of Asturias Award for neural stem cell research

Last year a group of CIRM grantees at Stanford University directly converted mouse skin cells into neurons, bypassing the need to first convert those cells into an embryonic-like state. Now they've gone a step farther, pulling off the same feat with human cells. They published the work in the May 26 Nature.Krista Conger at Stanford … Continue reading CIRM grantees convert skin to nerves, a step toward therapies for neurological disease

Each month CIRM President Alan Trounson gives his perspective on recently published papers he thinks will be valuable in moving the field of stem cell research forward. This month’s report, along with an archive of past reports, is available on the CIRM website.The first paper I highlight in this month’s summary, purporting to have found … Continue reading Guest blogger Alan Trounson — May’s stem cell highlights