You can bank on CIRM

Way back in 2013, the CIRM Board invested $32 million in a project to create an iPSC Bank. The goal was simple;  to collect tissue samples from people who have different diseases, turn those samples into high quality stem cell lines - the kind known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) - and create a … Continue reading You can bank on CIRM

Stem Cell Roundup: Rainbow Sherbet Fruit Fly Brains, a CRISPR/iPSC Mash-up and more

This week’s Round Up is all about the brain with some CRISPR and iPSCs sprinkled in: Our Cool Stem Cell Image of the Week comes from Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute: This rainbow sherbet-colored scientific art is a microscopy image of a fruit fly nervous system in which brain cells were randomly labeled with different colors. … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Rainbow Sherbet Fruit Fly Brains, a CRISPR/iPSC Mash-up and more

Eye on the prize: two stem cell studies restore vision in blind mice

For the 39 million people in the world who are blind, a vision-restoring therapy would be the ultimate prize. So far, this prize has remained out of reach, but two studies published this week have entered the ring as promising contenders in the fight against blindness. In the red corner, we have a study published … Continue reading Eye on the prize: two stem cell studies restore vision in blind mice

Seeing is Believing: New Video on the Power of Stem Cells

The world is full of skeptics. Remember when you first heard about self-driving cars? I’m sure that information was met with comments like, “When pigs fly!” or “I’ll believe it when I see it!” Well, it turns out that the best way to get people to believe something is possible, is to show them. And … Continue reading Seeing is Believing: New Video on the Power of Stem Cells

Meeting the scientists who are turning their daughter’s cells into a research tool – one that could change her life forever

There’s nothing like a face-to-face meeting to really get to know someone. And when the life of someone you love is in the hands of that person, then it’s a meeting that comes packed with emotion and importance. Last week Gay and Steve Grossman got to meet the people who are working with their daughter … Continue reading Meeting the scientists who are turning their daughter’s cells into a research tool – one that could change her life forever

Trash talking and creating a stem cell community

Imilce Rodriguez-Fernandez likes to talk trash. No, really, she does. In her case it’s cellular trash, the kind that builds up in our cells and has to be removed to ensure the cells don’t become sick. Imilce was one of several stem cell researchers who took part in a couple of public events over the … Continue reading Trash talking and creating a stem cell community

Celebrating Stem Cell Awareness Day with SUPER CELLS!

To all you stem cell lovers out there, today is your day! The second Wednesday of October is Stem Cell Awareness Day (SCAD), which brings together organizations and individuals that are working to ensure the general public realizes the benefits of stem cell research. For patients in desperate need of treatments for diseases without cures, … Continue reading Celebrating Stem Cell Awareness Day with SUPER CELLS!

From flies to mice: Improving stem cell therapy for degenerative eye diseases

Stem cell therapies for degenerative eye diseases sound promising – inject retinal progenitor cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells into the eye where they will integrate and replace damaged retinal tissue to hopefully restore sight. However, a significant road block is preventing these stem cell transplants from doing their job: the transplanted cells are … Continue reading From flies to mice: Improving stem cell therapy for degenerative eye diseases