Part of The Stem Cellar blog series on 10 years of iPSCs. This year, scientists are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Shinya Yamanaka’s Nobel Prize winning discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These are cells that are very similar biologically to embryonic stem cells and can develop into any cell in the body. iPSCs … Continue reading Stem Cell Experts Discuss the Ethical Implications of Translating iPSCs to the Clinic
Author: Karen Ring
Full Steam Ahead: First Patient is Dosed in Expanded CIRM Spinal Cord Injury Trial
Today we bring you more good news about a CIRM-funded clinical trial for spinal cord injury that’s received a lot of attention lately in the news. Asterias Biotherapeutics has treated its first patient in an expanded patient population of spinal cord injury patients who suffer from cervical, or neck, injuries. In late August, Asterias reported … Continue reading Full Steam Ahead: First Patient is Dosed in Expanded CIRM Spinal Cord Injury Trial
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: two studies of the heart and cool stem cell art
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. Understanding Heart Defects. Healthy heart tissue is made up of smooth, solid muscle, which is essential for normal heart function. Patients with a heart defect … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: two studies of the heart and cool stem cell art
Science and Improv: Spotlight on CIRM Bridges Scholar Jill Tsai
As part of our CIRM scholar series, we’re featuring the research and career accomplishments of CIRM funded students. What do science and improv have in common? The answer is not a whole lot. However, I recently met a talented student from our CIRM Bridges master’s program who one day is going to change this. Meet … Continue reading Science and Improv: Spotlight on CIRM Bridges Scholar Jill Tsai
Salk scientists explain why brain cells are genetically diverse
I’ve always wondered why some sets of genetically identical twins become not so identical later in life. Sometimes they differ in appearance. Other times, one twin is healthy while the other is plagued with a serious disease. These differences can be explained by exposure to different environmental factors over time, but there could also be … Continue reading Salk scientists explain why brain cells are genetically diverse
HOPE for patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-associated heart disease
It’s an exciting week for CIRM-funded clinical trials. Yesterday, we blogged about a young man named Kris Boesen who is responding positively to a stem cell therapy in a Phase 1/2a CIRM-funded clinical trial for spinal cord injury run by Asterias Biotherapeutics. Paralyzed from the chest down after a terrible car accident, Kris now has regained some use … Continue reading HOPE for patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-associated heart disease
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: functioning liver tissue, making new bone, stem cells and mental health
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. Functioning liver tissue. Scientists are looking to stem cells as a potential alternative treatment to liver transplantation for patients with end-stage liver disease. Efforts are … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: functioning liver tissue, making new bone, stem cells and mental health
Sneak Peak of our New Blog Series and the 10 Years of iPSCs Cell Symposium
New Blog Series A decade has passed since Dr. Shinya Yamanaka and his colleagues discovered the Nobel Prize-winning technology called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These stem cells can be derived from adult tissue and can develop into any cell type in the body. They are an extremely useful tool to model disease in a … Continue reading Sneak Peak of our New Blog Series and the 10 Years of iPSCs Cell Symposium
How many stem cell trials will it take to get a cure?
When I think about how many clinical trials it will take before a stem cell therapy is available to patients, I’m reminded of the decades old Tootsie Pop commercial where a kid asks a series of talking animals, “How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” … Continue reading How many stem cell trials will it take to get a cure?
Here’s a new gene editing strategy to treat genetic blood disorders
If you’re taking a road trip across the country, you have a starting point and an ending point. How you go from point A to point B could be one of a million different routes, but the ultimate outcome is the same: reaching your final destination. Yesterday scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital published … Continue reading Here’s a new gene editing strategy to treat genetic blood disorders
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