A doctor collects fat from a patient's back as part of an experimental stem cell procedure in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Dec. 5, 2014. (Raquel Maria Dillon / Associated Press) For several years now, we have been trying to raise awareness about the risks posed by clinics offering unproven or unapproved stem cell therapies. At … Continue reading Media shine a spotlight on dodgy stem cell clinics
Cell Type
CIRM-supported Type I Diabetes treatment enters clinical trials in Europe
ViaCyte, a company that CIRM has supported for many years, has announced international expansion of a clinical trial to test their therapeutic PEC-Direct product in patients with Type I Diabetes. The first European patient in Brussels was implanted with the PEC-Direct product candidate that, in animal models, is able to form functional beta cells. Patients … Continue reading CIRM-supported Type I Diabetes treatment enters clinical trials in Europe
Rare disease gets go-ahead to run clinical trial
Cystinosis is one of those diseases most people have never heard of and should be very grateful they haven't. It's rare - affecting only around 500 children and young adults in the US and just 2,000 people worldwide - but it's nasty. Up to now the treatments for it have been very limited. But a … Continue reading Rare disease gets go-ahead to run clinical trial
Using 3D printer to develop treatment for spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) affect approximately 300,000 Americans, with about 18,000 new cases occurring per year. One of these patients, Jake Javier, who we have written about many times over the past several years, received ten million stem cells as part of a CIRM-funded clinical trial and a video about his first year at Cal … Continue reading Using 3D printer to develop treatment for spinal cord injury
Stem Cells make the cover of National Geographic
National Geographic is one of those iconic magazines that everyone knows about but few people read. Which is a shame, because it's been around since 1888 and has helped make generations of readers aware about the world around them. And now, it's shifting gears and helping people know more about the world inside them. That's … Continue reading Stem Cells make the cover of National Geographic
The most popular Stem Cellar posts of 2018
You never know when you write something if people are going to read it. Sometimes you wonder if anyone is going to read it. So, it’s always fun, and educational, to look back at the end of the year and see which pieces got the most eyeballs. It isn’t always the ones you think will … Continue reading The most popular Stem Cellar posts of 2018
It’s not goodbye to Dr. Bert Lubin, it’s au revoir
Dr. Bert Lubin has been a fixture at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland long before it was even called that. When he started there 43 years ago it was just a small community hospital and through his commitment to helping those in need he has helped build it into a remarkable institution. Over the years … Continue reading It’s not goodbye to Dr. Bert Lubin, it’s au revoir
Midwest universities are making important tools to advance stem cell research
Two Midwest universities are making headlines for their contributions to stem cell research. Both are developing important tools to advance this field of study, but in two unique ways. Scientists at the University of Michigan (UM), have compiled an impressive repository of disease-specific stem cell lines. Cell lines are crucial tools for scientists to study … Continue reading Midwest universities are making important tools to advance stem cell research
Stem Cell Agency celebrates 50 clinical trials with patient #1
Yesterday the CIRM Board approved funding for our 50th clinical trial (you can read about that here) It was an historic moment for us and to celebrate we decided to go back in history and hear from the very first person to be treated in a CIRM-funded clinical trial. Rich Lajara was treated in the … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency celebrates 50 clinical trials with patient #1
Stem Cell Agency Board Approves 50th Clinical Trial
May 4th, 2011 marked a landmark moment for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). On that day the Stem Cell Agency’s Board voted to invest in its first ever clinical trial, which was also the first clinical trial to use cells derived from embryonic stem cells. Today the Stem Cell Agency reached another landmark, … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Approves 50th Clinical Trial