For the last two days the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been holding a hearing in Bethesda, Maryland on new regulations that would tighten control over stem cell treatments. The FDA invited public testimony during the hearing on the regulations that would impact many of the clinics that currently offer unproven therapies The testimony … Continue reading CIRM’s Randy Mills: New FDA rules for stem cells won’t fix the problem
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Salk scientists explain why brain cells are genetically diverse
I’ve always wondered why some sets of genetically identical twins become not so identical later in life. Sometimes they differ in appearance. Other times, one twin is healthy while the other is plagued with a serious disease. These differences can be explained by exposure to different environmental factors over time, but there could also be … Continue reading Salk scientists explain why brain cells are genetically diverse
Making a deposit in the Bank: using stem cells from children with rare diseases to find new treatments
Part of The Stem Cellar series on ten years of iPS cells For Chris Waters, the motivation behind her move from big pharmaceutical companies and biotech to starting a non-profit organization focused on rare diseases in children is simple: “What’s most important is empowering patient families and helping them accelerate research to the clinical solutions … Continue reading Making a deposit in the Bank: using stem cells from children with rare diseases to find new treatments
Young man with spinal cord injury regains use of hands and arms after stem cell therapy
Hope is such a fragile thing. We cling to it in bad times. It offers us a sense that we can bear whatever hardships we are facing today, and that tomorrow will be better. Kris Boesen knows all about holding on to hope during bad times. On March 6th of this year he was left … Continue reading Young man with spinal cord injury regains use of hands and arms after stem cell therapy
Sneak Peak of our New Blog Series and the 10 Years of iPSCs Cell Symposium
New Blog Series A decade has passed since Dr. Shinya Yamanaka and his colleagues discovered the Nobel Prize-winning technology called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These stem cells can be derived from adult tissue and can develop into any cell type in the body. They are an extremely useful tool to model disease in a … Continue reading Sneak Peak of our New Blog Series and the 10 Years of iPSCs Cell Symposium
Clearing the first hurdle: spinal cord injury trial passes safety review
Starting a clinical trial is like taking a step into the unknown. It’s moving a potential therapy out of the lab and testing it in people. To reach this point the researchers have done a lot of work trying to ensure the therapy is safe. But that work was done in the lab, and on … Continue reading Clearing the first hurdle: spinal cord injury trial passes safety review
A look back at the last year – but with our eyes firmly on the future
Better. With that single word Randy Mills, our President and CEO, starts and ends his letter in our 2015 Annual Report and lays out the simple principle that guides the way we work at CIRM. Better. But better what? “Better infrastructure to translate early stage ideas into groundbreaking clinical trials. Better regulatory practices to advance … Continue reading A look back at the last year – but with our eyes firmly on the future
Dr. Deborah Deas joins CIRM Board
Dr. Deborah Deas is clearly not someone who opts for the quiet life. If she were, she would have stayed home in Adams Run, the tiny town in rural South Carolina where she was born. The website, NeighborhoodScout.com describes Adams Run (current population 1,492) as: “One of the quietest neighborhoods in America. When you are … Continue reading Dr. Deborah Deas joins CIRM Board
Young Minds Shine Bright at the CIRM SPARK Conference
Yesterday was one of the most exciting and inspiring days I’ve had at CIRM since I joined the agency one year ago. We hosted the CIRM SPARK conference which brought together fifty-five high school students from across California to present their stem cell research from their summer internships. The day was a celebration of their … Continue reading Young Minds Shine Bright at the CIRM SPARK Conference
Tunable hydrogels guide stem cell differentiation
Differentiating stem cells into mature cells of adult tissue involves many intricate steps to get them to develop into the right cell types. You could compare the process to the careful adjustments you make when tuning a guitar. In the body, stem cells receive cues from their surrounding environment to mature into specific types of … Continue reading Tunable hydrogels guide stem cell differentiation
The Stem Cellar 