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. Zika virus could impact adult brains It’s not just a baby’s developing brain that is vulnerable to the Zika virus, adult brains may be too. … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: How Zika may impact adult brains; Move over CRISPR there’s a new kid in town; How our bodies store fat
Author: Kevin McCormack
Ingenious CIRM-funded stem cell approach to treating ALS gets go-ahead to start clinical trial
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, was first identified way back in 1869 but today, more than 150 years later, there are still no effective treatments for it. Now a project, funded by CIRM, has been given approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start a clinical trial that … Continue reading Ingenious CIRM-funded stem cell approach to treating ALS gets go-ahead to start clinical trial
Creating a “Pitching Machine” to speed up our delivery of stem cell treatments to patients
When baseball players are trying to improve their hitting they’ll use a pitching machine to help them fine tune their stroke. Having a device that delivers a ball at a consistent speed can help a batter be more consistent and effective in their swing, and hopefully get more hits. That’s what we are hoping our … Continue reading Creating a “Pitching Machine” to speed up our delivery of stem cell treatments to patients
Trash talking and creating a stem cell community
Imilce Rodriguez-Fernandez likes to talk trash. No, really, she does. In her case it’s cellular trash, the kind that builds up in our cells and has to be removed to ensure the cells don’t become sick. Imilce was one of several stem cell researchers who took part in a couple of public events over the … Continue reading Trash talking and creating a stem cell community
Using skin cells to repair damaged hearts
When someone has a heart attack, getting treatment quickly can mean the difference between life and death. Every minute delay in getting help means more heart cells die, and that can have profound consequences. One study found that heart attack patients who underwent surgery to re-open blocked arteries within 60 minutes of arriving in the … Continue reading Using skin cells to repair damaged hearts
A Patient Advocate’s Take on Sickle Cell Disease: The Pain and the Promise
September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. First officially recognized by the federal government in 1983, National Sickle Cell Awareness Month calls attention to sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic disease that researchers estimate affects between 90,000 and 100,000 Americans. CIRM is funding a clinical trial focused on curing the disease with a stem cell-based … Continue reading A Patient Advocate’s Take on Sickle Cell Disease: The Pain and the Promise
Funding stem cell research targeting a rare and life-threatening disease in children
If you have never heard of cystinosis you should consider yourself fortunate. It’s a rare condition caused by an inherited genetic mutation. It hits early and it hits hard. Children with cystinosis are usually diagnosed before age 2 and are in end-stage kidney failure by the time they are 9. If that’s not bad enough … Continue reading Funding stem cell research targeting a rare and life-threatening disease in children
Asterias’ stem cell clinical trial shows encouraging results for spinal cord injury patients
When researchers are carrying out a clinical trial they have two goals: first, show that it is safe (the old “do no harm” maxim) and second, show it works. One without the other doesn’t do anyone any good in the long run. A few weeks ago Asterias Biotherapeutics showed that their CIRM-funded stem cell therapy … Continue reading Asterias’ stem cell clinical trial shows encouraging results for spinal cord injury patients
CIRM’s Randy Mills: New FDA rules for stem cells won’t fix the problem
For the last two days the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been holding a hearing in Bethesda, Maryland on new regulations that would tighten control over stem cell treatments. The FDA invited public testimony during the hearing on the regulations that would impact many of the clinics that currently offer unproven therapies The testimony … Continue reading CIRM’s Randy Mills: New FDA rules for stem cells won’t fix the problem
Making a deposit in the Bank: using stem cells from children with rare diseases to find new treatments
Part of The Stem Cellar series on ten years of iPS cells For Chris Waters, the motivation behind her move from big pharmaceutical companies and biotech to starting a non-profit organization focused on rare diseases in children is simple: “What’s most important is empowering patient families and helping them accelerate research to the clinical solutions … Continue reading Making a deposit in the Bank: using stem cells from children with rare diseases to find new treatments
The Stem Cellar 