THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST About one third of stroke survivors experience vision loss. It can be a devastating side effect as most patients will not fully recover their vision and there are currently no reliable treatments available. But thanks to a collaborative effort by two teams of researchers from Purdue … Continue reading Reprogramming brain cells to restore vision after a stroke
bioengineering
A step forward in finding a treatment for a deadly neurological disorder
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST MRI section of a brain affected by ALS with the front section of the brain highlighted Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a nasty disease that steadily attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It’s pretty much always fatal … Continue reading A step forward in finding a treatment for a deadly neurological disorder
Some good news for people with dodgy knees
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST Graphic contrasting a healthy knee with one that has osteoarthritis About 10% of Americans suffer from knee osteoarthritis, a painful condition that can really impair mobility and quality of life. It's often caused by an injury to cartilage, say when you were playing sports in high school … Continue reading Some good news for people with dodgy knees
Getting under the skin of people with type 1 diabetes – but in a good way
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST As someone with a family history of type 1 diabetes (T1D) I know how devastating the condition can be. I also know how challenging it can be to keep it under control and the consequences of failing to do that. Not maintaining healthy blood sugar levels can … Continue reading Getting under the skin of people with type 1 diabetes – but in a good way
Looking back and looking forward: good news for two CIRM-supported studies
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IimCtQ8STpFikwZRXqSAB Dr. Rosa Bacchetta on the right with Brian Lookofsky (left) and Taylor Lookofsky after CIRM funded Dr. Bacchetta's work in October 2019. Taylor has IPEX syndrome It’s always lovely to end the week on a bright note and that’s certainly the case this week, thanks to some encouraging news about CIRM-funded research targeting blood … Continue reading Looking back and looking forward: good news for two CIRM-supported studies
Building embryo-like cells in the lab
Dr. Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz: Photo courtesy Caltech Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have many remarkable properties, not the least of which is their ability to turn into every other kind of cell in our body. But there are limits to what researchers can do with embryonic stem cells. One issue is that there aren’t always hESCs … Continue reading Building embryo-like cells in the lab
A personal reason to develop a better gene therapy
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY Credit : Allison Dougherty, Broad Communications For Sharif Tabebordbar, finding a gene therapy for genetic muscle wasting diseases was personal. When he was a teenager, his father was diagnosed with a rare genetic muscle disease that eventually left him unable to walk. In an interview … Continue reading A personal reason to develop a better gene therapy
Tiny tools for the smallest of tasks, editing genes
YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS BLOG AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY Developing new tools to edit genes Having the right tools to do a job is important. Try using a large screwdriver to tighten the screws on your glasses and you quickly appreciate that it’s not just the type of tool that’s important, it’s also … Continue reading Tiny tools for the smallest of tasks, editing genes
National Academy of Medicine honors CIRM Grantees
YOU CAN ALSO LISTEN TO THIS BLOG AS AN AUDIO PODCAST ON SPOTIFY As someone who is not always as diligent as he would like to be about sending birthday cards on time, I’m used to sending belated greetings to people. So, I have no shame in sending belated greetings to four CIRM grantees who … Continue reading National Academy of Medicine honors CIRM Grantees
Creating a better way to treat type 1 diabetes
LISTEN TO THIS BLOG AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY The cell encapsulation device (right) that is being developed by Encellin, a San Francisco–based biotechnology company. Photo courtesy of Encellin Type 1 diabetes (t1d) affects every aspect of a person’s life, from what they eat and when they eat, to when they exercise and how they feel … Continue reading Creating a better way to treat type 1 diabetes
The Stem Cellar 