A lot of people are frustrated with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its woefully slow process for approving stem cell therapies. That’s one of the reasons why we started the CIRM Stem Cell Champions campaign, to gather as many like-minded supporters of stem cell research as possible and help to change the … Continue reading Why is a cell therapy that restores sight to the blind against the law?
C. Randal Mills
What’s the big idea? Or in this case, what’s the 19 big ideas?
Have you ever stood in line in a supermarket checkout line and browsed through the magazines stacked conveniently at eye level? (of course you have, we all have). They are always filled with attention-grabbing headlines like “5 Ways to a Slimmer You by Christmas” or “Ten Tips for Rock Hard Abs” (that one doesn’t work … Continue reading What’s the big idea? Or in this case, what’s the 19 big ideas?
Rare disease underdogs come out on top at CIRM Board meeting
It seems like an oxymoron but one in ten Americans has a rare disease. With more than 7,000 known rare diseases it’s easy to see how each one could affect thousands of individuals and still be considered a rare or orphan condition. Only 5% of rare diseases have FDA approved therapies People with rare … Continue reading Rare disease underdogs come out on top at CIRM Board meeting
New stem cell approach targeting deadly blood cancers
Every four minutes someone in the US is diagnosed with a blood cancer. It might be lymphoma or leukemia, myeloma or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). While we have made great strides in treating some of these over the years, we still have a long way to go. Need proof? Well, every nine minutes someone in the US … Continue reading New stem cell approach targeting deadly blood cancers
If you want to accelerate stem cell therapies then create an Accelerating Center
“You can’t teach fish to fly,” is one of the phrases that our CIRM President & CEO, Randy Mills, likes to throw out when asked why we needed to create new centers to help researchers move their most promising therapies out of the lab and into clinical trials. His point is that many researchers are … Continue reading If you want to accelerate stem cell therapies then create an Accelerating Center
Training the Next Generation of Stem Cell Scientists
Nobel prize winners don’t come out of thin air, they were all young, impressionable kids at one point in time. If you ask any award-winning scientists how they got into science research, many of them would likely tell you about an inspiring teacher, an encouraging parent, or a hands-on research opportunity that inspired or helped … Continue reading Training the Next Generation of Stem Cell Scientists
Board gives stem cell institute marching orders, and a road map
The poet T. S. Eliot once wrote: “If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” Well, everyone at CIRM, California’s stem cell institute, is about to find out how tall we are. Yesterday our governing Board approved a new Strategic Plan. To call it ambitious might be considered … Continue reading Board gives stem cell institute marching orders, and a road map
Doing nothing is not OK: A call for change at the FDA
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is caught between a rock and a hard place. And CIRM is going to try and help them get out from under that. As things stand today, if the FDA approves a therapy quickly and a patient later dies from it, then they are widely criticized. If they … Continue reading Doing nothing is not OK: A call for change at the FDA
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: mini-brains in a dish, blood stem cells and state funded stem cell research
Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Great review of brains in a dish. The veteran Associated Press science journalist Malcolm Ritter produced the most thorough overview I have seen of the … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: mini-brains in a dish, blood stem cells and state funded stem cell research
Improving process drives progress in stem cell research
Process is not a sexy word. No one gets excited thinking about improving a process. Yet behind every great idea, behind every truly effective program is someone who figured out a way to improve the process, to make that idea not just work, but work better. It’s not glamorous. Sometimes it’s not even pretty. But … Continue reading Improving process drives progress in stem cell research
The Stem Cellar 