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.Growing muscle in a dish. A team at Children’s Hospital, Boston and Harvard have used reprogrammed iPS type stem cells to grow muscle in a lab … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: enhanced healing, engineered tissues and bigger muscles

“Many concepts I learned as a student are no longer true today or have drastically changed”, so said my molecular biology professor when I was an undergrad. If I met up with my prof again today I’d say, “ain’t that the truth”. A perfect example of the ever-changing nature of scientific knowledge is a report … Continue reading Comparison of DNA Between Single Brain Cells Reveals Surprising Variation, A Stem Cell Study Finds

Our grantee Songtao Shi at the University of Southern California has discovered how stem cells in the jaw give rise to growths that enlarge the jaw and often require major surgery to remove. These growths are called ossifying fibromas.Like so many early stage discoveries, his work doesn't so far treat the growths, but it does show … Continue reading Stem cells in the jaw at the heart of debilitating bony growths

Geoff Lomax, CIRM's Senior Officer for Medical & Ethical Standards, is blogging from this week's Advancing Ethical Research Conference 2013. Dr. Atul Gawande speaking at the Advancing Ethical Research Conference.Two outstanding speakers, Dr. Atul Gawande and Dr. George Demetri, kicked off the meeting, both discussing themes of systems science to advance new therapies and treatments for patients. … Continue reading Revolutionary Therapies: It Takes a System

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.Scientists in Cincinnati have found how the stem cells that create the blood … Continue reading Guest blogger Alan Trounson — October’s stem cell research highlights

Kevin McCormack is blogging this week from the Partnering for Cures meeting in New York.Moderator Josh Sommer and panelists Jessica Richmond and Geoffrey Ling discussed the role of patients can play in driving new curesPatients have always been at the heart of the work we do at the stem cell agency. It’s only natural; they … Continue reading Patient power – the democratization of science

Kevin McCormack is blogging this week from the Partnering for Cures meeting in New York. Jesse Dylan and Erik Perakslis speaking about the value of big data at Partnering for CuresIf Big Science was the theme that started the Partnering for Cures conference in New York City –– then Big Data was the mantra that … Continue reading People Power – how patients can use their own data to advance medical research

Members of the Berkeley Student Society for Stem Cell Research walk visitors through a hands on stem cell activityIt does not get much better than the highlights of my past week. First my former hometown team, the Boston Red Sox, won the World Series at Fenway Park, which is down the street from my old … Continue reading San Francisco’s baseball park turned into site where kids see science can be as much fun as a ball game

Stem cell research in San Diego got a $100 million boost today from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, who is a long-time donor to research in the San Diego area. He is the  namesake behind the Sanford Consortium stem cell research building, to which he donated $30 million. He also donated $70 million to the renamed … Continue reading $100 million donation to speed stem cell research in San Diego

Kevin McCormack is blogging this week from the Partnering for Cures meeting in New York. When you think of scientific research the traditional model is individual researchers or teams of researchers working on their own projects. But Big Science turns that model on its head, getting those individuals to work together in a collective program … Continue reading Big Science is here to stay – pooling knowledge to advance science