Like salmon swimming against a river current, brain stem cells can travel against their normal migration stream with the help of electrical stimuli, so says CIRM-funded research published this week in Stem Cell Reports. The research, carried out by a team of UC Davis scientists, could one day provide a means for guiding brain stem … Continue reading Making brain stem cells act more like salmon than bloodhounds
Author: Todd Dubnicoff
Wall Street Journal features CIRM-funded clinical trials aiming for a diabetes cure
We think CIRM-funded clinical trials hold so much promise that it doesn’t surprise us when major news organizations publish stories about these projects that aim to provide stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. But we certainly don’t mind the attention! This past Saturday, for example, the Wall Street Journal featured two CIRM-funded … Continue reading Wall Street Journal features CIRM-funded clinical trials aiming for a diabetes cure
Cancer-causing mutations in blood stem cells may also link to heart disease
Whether we read about it in the news or hear it from our doctor, when we think about the causes of heart disease it’s usually some combination of inheriting bad genes from our parents and making poor life style choices like smoking or eating a diet high in fat and cholesterol. But in a fascinating … Continue reading Cancer-causing mutations in blood stem cells may also link to heart disease
4 things to know about stem cell clinical trials [Video]
Every day, we receive phone calls and emails from people who are desperately seeking our help. Sometimes they reach out on their own behalf, though often it’s for a family member or close friend. In every case, someone is suffering or dying from a disorder that has no available cure or effective treatment and they … Continue reading 4 things to know about stem cell clinical trials [Video]
Nine months in, stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury continues to improve paralyzed patients’ lives
If you’ve been following the Stem Cellar blog this year, then you must be as encouraged as we are with Asterias Biotherapeutics’ CIRM-funded clinical trial, which is testing an embryonic stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury. Over many months, we’ve covered the company’s string of positive announcements that their cell therapy product – called … Continue reading Nine months in, stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury continues to improve paralyzed patients’ lives
Stories that caught our eye: color me stem cells, delivering cell therapy with nanomagnets, and stem cell decisions
Nanomagnets: the future of targeted stem cell therapies? Your blood vessels are made up of tightly-packed endothelial cells. This barrier poses some big challenges for the delivery of drugs via the blood. While small molecules are able make their way through the small gaps in the blood vessel walls, larger drug molecules, including proteins and cells, … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: color me stem cells, delivering cell therapy with nanomagnets, and stem cell decisions
Stem cell repair of birth defect during pregnancy possible, rodent study shows
As far-fetched as it may sound, performing prenatal surgery on a fetus still growing inside its mother’s womb is actually possible. This specialized procedure is done to repair birth defects like spina bifida, in which a baby’s back bones don’t form properly around the spinal cord. This opening in the spine that leads to excess … Continue reading Stem cell repair of birth defect during pregnancy possible, rodent study shows
“A limitless future”: young crash victim regains hand, finger movement after CIRM-funded trial
Back in March, we reported on Asterias Biotherapeutics’ exciting press release stating that its CIRM-funded stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury had shown improvement in six out of the six clinical trial patients receiving a ten million cell dose. What’s even more exciting is hearing stories about the positive impact of that data on … Continue reading “A limitless future”: young crash victim regains hand, finger movement after CIRM-funded trial
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: new baldness treatments?, novel lung stem cells, and giraffe stem cells
Novel immune system/stem cell interaction may lead to better treatments for baldness. When one thinks of the immune system it’s usually in terms of the body’s ability to fight off a bad cold or flu virus. But a team of UCSF researchers this week report in Cell that a particular cell of the immune system is … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: new baldness treatments?, novel lung stem cells, and giraffe stem cells
New target for defeating breast cancer stem cells uncovered
Stashed away in most of your tissues and organs lie small populations of adult stem cells. They help keep our bodies functioning properly by replenishing dying or damaged cells. Their ability to make more copies of themselves, as needed, ensures that there’s always an adequate supply set aside. But this very same self-renewing, life-sustaining property … Continue reading New target for defeating breast cancer stem cells uncovered
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