CIRM’s Alpha Stem Cell Clinics Given High Profile Role in Clinical Trials Network

Sue and Bill Gross Hall Photo by Hoang Xuan Pham/ UC Irvine There are a growing number of predatory clinics in California and around the US, offering unproven stem cell therapies. For patients seeking a legitimate therapy it can often be hard finding a reliable clinic, one offering treatments based on the rigorous science required … Continue reading CIRM’s Alpha Stem Cell Clinics Given High Profile Role in Clinical Trials Network

An off-the-shelf cancer killer

iPS Cell: Photo from the lab of Kathrin Plath at UCLA One of the hottest areas in cancer research right now is the use of CAR-T treatments. These use the patient’s own re-engineered immune system cells to target and kill the tumor. But the thing that makes it so appealing – using the patient’s own … Continue reading An off-the-shelf cancer killer

Four CIRM Funded Trials Release Results at 2019 ASH Meeting

With more than 17,000 members from nearly 100 countries, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) is an organization composed of clinicians and scientists around the world working to conquer various blood diseases. Currently, they are having their 61st Annual ASH Meeting to highlight some of the exciting work going on in the field. Four of … Continue reading Four CIRM Funded Trials Release Results at 2019 ASH Meeting

Two CIRM supported studies highlighted in Nature as promising approaches for blood disorders

Blood stem cells (blue) are cleared from the bone marrow (purple) before new stem cells can be transplanted.Credit: Dennis Kunkel Microscopy/SPL Problems with blood stem cells, a type of stem cell in your bone marrow that gives rise to various kinds of blood cells, can sometimes result in blood cancer as well as genetic and … Continue reading Two CIRM supported studies highlighted in Nature as promising approaches for blood disorders

Researchers create a better way to grow blood stem cells

UCLA's Dr. Hanna Mikkola and Vincenzo Calvanese, lead scientists on the study. Photo courtesy UCLA Blood stem cells are a vital part of us. They create all the other kinds of blood cells in our body and are used in bone marrow transplants to help people battling leukemia or other blood cancers. The problem is … Continue reading Researchers create a better way to grow blood stem cells

What to be thankful for this Thanksgiving: scientists hard at work

Biomedical technician Louis Pinedo feeds stem cells their special diet. Photo by Cedars-Sinai. With Thanksgiving and Black Friday approaching in the next couple of days, we wanted to give thanks to all the scientists hard at work during this holiday weekend. Science does not sleep--the groundbreaking research and experiments that are being conducted do not … Continue reading What to be thankful for this Thanksgiving: scientists hard at work

Machine learning used to pattern stem cells – a vital step in organ modeling

Gladstone researchers discovered a method to control the patterns stem cells form in a dish. The work was led by Senior Investigator Todd McDevitt (left) and his team, including (pictured) David Joy and Ashley Libby. When someone thinks of machine learning, the first thing that comes to mind might be the technology used by Netflix … Continue reading Machine learning used to pattern stem cells – a vital step in organ modeling

Good news for two CIRM-supported therapies

Jake Javier, a patient in the spinal cord injury stem cell therapy clinical trial It’s always satisfying to see two projects you have supported for a long time do well. That’s particularly true when the projects in question are targeting conditions that have no other effective therapies. This week we learned that a clinical trial … Continue reading Good news for two CIRM-supported therapies

CIRM Board Awards $15.8 Million to Four Translational Research Projects

Last week, the CIRM Board approved $32.92 million in awards directed towards four new clinical trials in vision related diseases and Parkinson's Disease. In addition to these awards, the Board also approved investing $15.80 million in four awards in the Translational Research program. The goal of this program is to help promising projects complete the … Continue reading CIRM Board Awards $15.8 Million to Four Translational Research Projects

How early CIRM support helped an anti-cancer therapy overcome obstacles and help patients

Dr. Catriona Jamieson, UC San Diego When you read about a new drug or therapy being approved to help patients it always seems so simple. Researchers come up with a brilliant idea, test it to make sure it is safe and works, and then get approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to … Continue reading How early CIRM support helped an anti-cancer therapy overcome obstacles and help patients