In the world of professional sports, teams invest tens of millions of dollars in players. Those players are under intense pressure to show a return on that investment for the team, and that means playing as hard as possible for as long as possible. So it’s no surprise that players facing serious injuries will often … Continue reading Stem cells and professional sports: a call for more science and less speculation
Author: Kevin McCormack
How partnering with someone half way around the world could help develop new treatments here in California
Much as we love California, and we really do, even we have to admit that genius knows no boundaries and that great scientific research is taking place all over the world. As our goal as an agency is to accelerate the development of successful therapies for people in need it only makes sense that we … Continue reading How partnering with someone half way around the world could help develop new treatments here in California
Truth or Consequences: how to spot a liar and what to do once you catch them
Nothing undermines the credibility of science and scientists more than the retraction a high profile paper. Earlier this year there was a prime example of that when researchers at one of Japan’s most prestigious research institutions, the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, had to retract a study that had gathered worldwide attention. The … Continue reading Truth or Consequences: how to spot a liar and what to do once you catch them
Taking Promising Therapies out of the Lab and into People: Tips from Experts at the World Stem Cell Summit on How to Succeed
Having a great idea for a stem cell therapy is the easy part. Getting it to work in the lab is tougher. But sometimes the toughest part of all is getting it out of the lab and into clinical trials in patients. That’s natural and sensible, after all we need to make sure that something … Continue reading Taking Promising Therapies out of the Lab and into People: Tips from Experts at the World Stem Cell Summit on How to Succeed
Tune into Famelab: “American Idol” for scientists and engineers
I sometimes joke that I consider myself and my communications colleagues the “official translators” at the stem cell agency, trying to turn complex science into everyday English. After all, the public is paying for the research that we fund and they have a right to know about the progress being made, in language they can … Continue reading Tune into Famelab: “American Idol” for scientists and engineers
Using stem cells paves new approach to treating a blistering skin disease
Imagine a child not being able to run or jump or just roll around, for fear that any movement could strip away their skin and leave them with open, painful wounds. That’s what life is like for children with a nasty genetic disease called epidermolysis bullosa or EB. The slightest touch can cause their skin … Continue reading Using stem cells paves new approach to treating a blistering skin disease
Taking stock: ten years of the stem cell agency, progress and promise for the future
Under some circumstances ten years can seem like a lifetime. But when lives are at stake, ten years can fly by in a flash. Ten years ago the people of California created the stem cell agency when they overwhelmingly approved Proposition 71, giving us $3 billion to fund and support stem cell research in the … Continue reading Taking stock: ten years of the stem cell agency, progress and promise for the future
Ten at ten at the stem cell agency: sharing the good news about progress from the bench to the bedside
Ten years ago this month the voters of California overwhelmingly approved Proposition 71, creating the state’s stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and providing $3 billion to fund stem cell research in California. That money has helped make California a global leader in stem cell research and led to ten clinical trials … Continue reading Ten at ten at the stem cell agency: sharing the good news about progress from the bench to the bedside
Spinal cord injury and stem cell research; find out the latest in a Google Hangout
Spinal cord injuries are devastating, leaving the person injured facing a life time of challenges, and placing a huge strain on their family and loved ones who help care for them. The numbers affected are not small. More than a quarter of a million Americans are living with spinal cord injuries and there are more … Continue reading Spinal cord injury and stem cell research; find out the latest in a Google Hangout
How venture capital became a capital adventure for stem cell agency’s newest Board member
There’s something fascinating about looking at the arc of a person’s career. So often we start out thinking we are going to be one thing, and over the years we move in a different direction and end up doing something else entirely. That’s certainly the case with Kathy LaPorte, the newest addition to our governing … Continue reading How venture capital became a capital adventure for stem cell agency’s newest Board member
The Stem Cellar 