We never would have expected two years or more out that patients could recover from a stroke. We thought the circuits were dead. Now we know they're still viable. That encouraging soundbite by Stanford’s Dr. Gary Steinberg in Monday’s Health Day News is based on his team’s preliminary, unpublished results of a stem cell-based clinical … Continue reading Early results from stem cell-based trial for stroke give tangible hope to millions

Retigabine, an approved epilepsy drug that may offer hope for ALS patients Today’s blog is the third in as many days about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research and this one may be the most tantalizing. Earlier this morning, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) announced the publication of two reports that point to an already … Continue reading Epilepsy drug may offer hope for ALS treatment, Harvard stem cell researchers report

Motor neurons control our muscle movements. In ALS, these cells die. In 2012, CIRM’s Board awarded over $17 million to a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center team to help bring a stem cell based therapy for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) to clinical trials in people. Yesterday, the Department of Defense (DoD) got into the act by announcing … Continue reading Military Marches in Step with Stem Cell Agency By Helping Bring ALS Research at Cedars-Sinai to Clinical Trials

I look at my son a lot and feel like he’s trapped inside his own brain. Circuits are going crazy. He can’t figure it out. Of course, I can’t figure it out. And I think he deserves to have a voice…He’s never said I love you. He’s never said “Mom” with any meaning…I feel like … Continue reading Video: Reversing autism in the lab with help from stem cells and the tooth fairy

2013 CIRM Annual Report cover page At last week’s governing Board meeting, communications director Kevin McCormack unveiled CIRM’s 2013 annual report. Was that a yawn I just heard, dear reader? Are you about to click away from this blog? It’s true that annual reports can be bulky tomes that make better dust collectors than reading … Continue reading The 2013 CIRM Annual Report: a concise, informative and yawn-free update on the state stem cell agency’s progress

Human embryonic stem cells (nuclei in green). How do you tell which are the best quality? Read on. (credit: Julie Baker, Stanford) One of the exciting aspects of working on the cutting edge of science and technology research is that you get to build the “road” of knowledge as you drive down it. Still, at … Continue reading Paving a smooth road to stem cell therapies: Harvard team develops stem cell quality control index

Hibernating bears rely on UCP1 to stay warm. Other UCPs play roles in stem and cancer cells. (source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) For those of you who drive a stick shift, imagine stepping on the clutch and the gas pedal of your car at the same time. What happens? The engine revs and generates … Continue reading Secrets of hibernating bears & stem cells lead to potential path to early cancer detection

Another month, another milestone. In February I took a moment to pat ourselves on the back as the CIRM communications team surpassed 1000 entries in our Stem Cell Research Updates blog. Now, just a few days into March, we’ve topped another social media milestone: half a million views on our YouTube video channel, CIRM TV, … Continue reading Watch out Gangum Style and Miley Cyrus: CIRM’s YouTube stem cell channel tops half a million views.

bone marrow with acute myeloid leukemia (credit: Vashi Donsk; Wikimedia Commons) “So doc, what’s my prognosis?” It’s the question foremost on the minds of people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Yet giving a specific answer to an individual patient can be a challenge for cancer doctors. As the National Cancer Institute states on their … Continue reading The fight is on: predicting cancer outcomes with stem cells for better treatment choices

Explaining complex biological processes to the general public is a very important, yet tricky challenge. With all the specialized language and acronyms that scientists use, it’s really difficult for the non-scientist to visualize the microscopic life of cells. That’s where video animation comes to the rescue. As Ben Paylor, a Ph.D. candidate at the University … Continue reading One-minute stem cell videos receive National Science Foundation award