For every clinical trial CIRM funds we create a Clinical Advisory Panel or CAP. The purpose of the CAP is to make recommendations and provide guidance and advice to both CIRM and the Project Team running the trial. It’s part of our commitment to doing everything we can to help make the trial a success … Continue reading From trauma to treatment: a Patient Advocate’s journey from helping her son battle a deadly disease to helping others do the same
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Extra dose of patience needed for spinal cord injury stem cell therapies, rat study suggests
2017 has been an exciting year for Asterias Biotherapeutics’ clinical trial which is testing a stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury. We’ve written several stories about patients who have made remarkable recoveries after participating in the trial (here and here). But that doesn’t mean researchers at other companies or institutes who are also investigating spinal … Continue reading Extra dose of patience needed for spinal cord injury stem cell therapies, rat study suggests
Confusing cancer to kill it
Confusion is not a state of mind that we usually seek out. Being bewildered is bad enough when it happens naturally, so why would anyone actively pursue it? But now some researchers are doing just that, using confusion to not just block a deadly blood cancer, but to kill it. Today the CIRM Board approved … Continue reading Confusing cancer to kill it
Treatments, cures and clinical trials: an in-person update on CIRM’s progress
Patients and Patient Advocates are at the heart of everything we do at CIRM. That’s why we are holding three free public events in the next few months focused on updating you on the stem cell research we are funding, and our plans for the future. Right now we have 33 projects that we have … Continue reading Treatments, cures and clinical trials: an in-person update on CIRM’s progress
Targeting hair follicle stem cells could be the key to fighting hair loss
Chia Pets make growing hair look easy. You might not be familiar with these chia plant terracotta figurines if you were born after the 80s, but I remember watching commercials growing up and desperately wanting a “Chia Pet, the pottery that grows!” My parents eventually caved and got me a Chia teddy bear, and I … Continue reading Targeting hair follicle stem cells could be the key to fighting hair loss
High school students SPARK an interest in stem cell research
High school is a transformative time for any student. It marks the transition from childhood to adulthood and requires discipline, dedication and determination to excel and get into their desired college or university. The barrier to entry for college now seems much higher than when I was eighteen, but I am not worried for the … Continue reading High school students SPARK an interest in stem cell research
A funny thing happened on my way to a PhD: one scientists change of mind and change of direction
Laurel Barchas is an old and dear friend of the communications team here at CIRM. As a student at U.C. Berkeley she helped us draft our education portal – putting together a comprehensive curriculum to help high schools teach students about stem cells in a way that met all state and federal standards. But a … Continue reading A funny thing happened on my way to a PhD: one scientists change of mind and change of direction
How mice and zebrafish are unlocking clues to repairing damaged hearts
This may be the first time that the Australian pop group the Bee Gees have ever been featured in a blog about stem cell research, but in this case I think it’s appropriate. One of the Bee Gees biggest hits was “How can you mend a broken heart” and while it was a fine song, … Continue reading How mice and zebrafish are unlocking clues to repairing damaged hearts
FDA creates a forum for patients to guide its decision making
It’s not hard to find people who don’t like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government agency that, among other things, regulates medical therapies. In fact, if you type “do people like the FDA?” into an internet search engine you’ll quickly find out that for a lot of people the answer is “no”. … Continue reading FDA creates a forum for patients to guide its decision making
ViaCyte treats first patients in PEC-Direct stem cell trial for type 1 diabetes
Today, ViaCyte shared an update on its latest clinical trial for type 1 diabetes (T1D). The company is based in San Diego and is developing two stem cell-based products that attempt to replace the pancreatic beta islet cells that are attacked by the immune system of patients with T1D. Their first product, called VC-01 or … Continue reading ViaCyte treats first patients in PEC-Direct stem cell trial for type 1 diabetes
The Stem Cellar 