Alpha clinics and a new framework for accelerating stem cell treatments

Last week, at the World Stem Cell Summit in Miami, CIRM took part in a panel discussion about the role and importance of Alpha Clinics in not just delivering stem cell therapies, but in helping create a new, more collaborative approach to medicine. The Alpha Clinic concept is to create  a network of top medical … Continue reading Alpha clinics and a new framework for accelerating stem cell treatments

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

Patient’s Stage IV Cancer Held in Check by CIRM-Funded Clinical Trial [Video]

"In the last three scans, which I have every six weeks, they're showing that there is no mestastasis (invasive cancer) anywhere in my body. [The doctors] I guess were quite blown away because they didn't expect [the treatment] to be so quick or to be that complete."   Today we’re sharing the story of Tom … Continue reading Patient’s Stage IV Cancer Held in Check by CIRM-Funded Clinical Trial [Video]

A year in review – CIRM’s 2017 Annual Report focuses on a year of accelerating stem cell treatments to patients

At CIRM we have our focus very clearly on the future, on accelerating stem cell therapies to patients with unmet medical needs. But every once in a while, it’s a good idea to look back at what you have already done. Knowing where you came from can help you get to where you are heading. … Continue reading A year in review – CIRM’s 2017 Annual Report focuses on a year of accelerating stem cell treatments to patients

Taking a new approach to fighting a deadly brain cancer

CIRM’s 2017 Annual Report will be going live online very soon. In anticipation of that we are highlighting some of the key elements from the report here on the Stem Cellar. One of the most exciting new approaches in targeting deadly cancers is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, using the patient’s own immune system … Continue reading Taking a new approach to fighting a deadly brain cancer

How CIRM funding creates additional financial support for stem cell research in California

CIRM’s 2017 Annual Report will be going live online very soon. In anticipation of that we are highlighting some of the key elements from the report here on the Stem Cellar. CIRM funds stem cell research.  We all know that.  What you may not know is that CIRM funds also help bring in additional funding … Continue reading How CIRM funding creates additional financial support for stem cell research in California

How Tom Howing turned to stem cells to battle back against a deadly cancer

As we enter the new year, CIRM’s 2017 Annual Report will be posted in less than two weeks!  Here’s one of the people we are profiling in the report, a patient who took part in a CIRM-funded clinical trial. In March of 2015, Tom Howing was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Over the next 18 … Continue reading How Tom Howing turned to stem cells to battle back against a deadly cancer

CHLA study explains how stem cells slow progression of kidney disorder

Not all stem cell-based therapies act by replacing diseased or damaged cells. Many treatments in clinical development rely on the injected stem cells releasing proteins which trigger the slow down or even reversal of damage caused by disease or injury. A new CIRM-funded study that’s developing a stem cell therapy for a rare kidney disease … Continue reading CHLA study explains how stem cells slow progression of kidney disorder

Budgeting for the future of the stem cell agency

Budgets are very rarely exciting things; but they are important. For example, it’s useful for a family to know when they go shopping exactly how much money they have so they know how much they can afford to spend. Stem cell agencies face the same constraints; you can’t spend more than you have. Last week … Continue reading Budgeting for the future of the stem cell agency

Using the AIDS virus to help children battling a deadly immune disorder

More than 35 million people around the world have been killed by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. So, it’s hard to think that the same approach the virus uses to infect cells could also be used to help children battling a deadly immune system disorder. But that’s precisely what researchers at UC San Francisco … Continue reading Using the AIDS virus to help children battling a deadly immune disorder