Chronic myelogenous leukemia Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a cancer of the white blood cells. It causes them to increase in number, crowd out other blood cells, leading to anemia, infection or heavy bleeding. Up until the early 2000’s the main weapon against CML was chemotherapy, but the introduction of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors … Continue reading CIRM funded research could lead to treatment to prevent recurrence of deadly blood cancer
Basic Research
New Report Says CIRM Produces Big Economic Boost for California
An independent Economic Impact Report says the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has had a major impact on California’s economy, creating tens of thousands of new jobs, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in new taxes, and producing billions of dollars in additional revenue for the state. The report, done by Dan Wei and … Continue reading New Report Says CIRM Produces Big Economic Boost for California
Moving a great idea targeting diabetes out of the lab and into a company
Tejal Desai in her lab at UCSF: Photo courtesy Todd Dubnicoff It’s always gratifying to see research you have helped support go from being an intriguing idea to something with promise to a product that is now the focus of a company. It’s all the more gratifying if the product in question might one day … Continue reading Moving a great idea targeting diabetes out of the lab and into a company
“Brains” in a dish that can create electrical impulses
Brain organoids in a petri dish: photo courtesy UCSD For several years, researchers have been able to take stem cells and use them to make three dimensional structures called organoids. These are a kind of mini organ that scientists can then use to study what happens in the real thing. For example, creating kidney organoids … Continue reading “Brains” in a dish that can create electrical impulses
Boosting the blood system after life-saving therapy
Following radiation, the bone marrow shows nearly complete loss of blood cells in mice (left). Mice treated with the PTP-sigma inhibitor displayed rapid recovery of blood cells (purple, right): Photo Courtesy UCLA Chemotherapy and radiation are two of the front-line weapons in treating cancer. They can be effective, even life-saving, but they can also be … Continue reading Boosting the blood system after life-saving therapy
CIRM-Funded Researchers Develop Chimeric “Mighty Mouse” Model to Study Alzheimer’s Disease
Dr. Mathew Blurton-Jones, leader of team that developed the chimeric "Mighty Mouse" model at the University of California, Irvine In ancient Greek mythology, a Chimera was a creature that was usually depicted as a lion with an additional goat head and a serpent for a tail. Due to the Chimera's animal hybrid nature, the term … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Researchers Develop Chimeric “Mighty Mouse” Model to Study Alzheimer’s Disease
How stem cells know the right way to make a heart . And what goes wrong when they don’t
Gladstone scientists Deepak Srivastava (left), Yvanka De Soysa (center), and Casey Gifford (right) publish a complete catalog of the cells involved in heart development. The invention of GPS navigation systems has made finding your way around so much easier, providing simple instructions on how to get from point A to point B. Now, a new … Continue reading How stem cells know the right way to make a heart . And what goes wrong when they don’t
Genetic defect leads to slower production of brain cells linked to one form of autism
Child with Fragile X syndrome Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic disorder that is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability in children, and has also been linked to a form of autism. Uncovering the cause of FXS could help lead to a deeper understanding of autism, what causes it and ultimately, it’s … Continue reading Genetic defect leads to slower production of brain cells linked to one form of autism
Developing a non-toxic approach to bone-crushing cancers
When cancer spreads to the bone the results can be devastating Battling cancer is always a balancing act. The methods we use – surgery, chemotherapy and radiation - can help remove the tumors but they often come at a price to the patient. In cases where the cancer has spread to the bone the treatments … Continue reading Developing a non-toxic approach to bone-crushing cancers
HIV eliminated from mice using CRISPR and LASER ART
Dr. Kamel Khalili In the United States alone, there are approximately 1.1 million people living with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a virus that weakens the immune system by destroying important cells that fight off disease and infection. This number is much larger on a global scale, with 36.9 million people living with HIV as of … Continue reading HIV eliminated from mice using CRISPR and LASER ART
The Stem Cellar 