Welcome to our “Throwback Thursday” series on the Stem Cellar. Over the years, we’ve accumulated an arsenal of exciting stem cell stories about advances towards stem cell-based cures for serious diseases. Today we’re featuring stories about the progress of CIRM-funded research and clinical trials that are aimed at developing stem cell-based treatments for HIV/AIDS. Tomorrow, … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Progress towards a cure for HIV/AIDS
Cell Type
Second “Don’t Eat Me” Signal Identified in Cancer Cells, Points to New Immunotherapies
When the immune system comes up as a topic in everyday conversation, it’s usually related to fighting off a cold or flu. While our immune cells certainly do detect and neutralize invading bacteria and viruses, they also play a critical role in killing abnormal, cancerous cells from within our bodies. “Don’t Eat Me” Signal 101 … Continue reading Second “Don’t Eat Me” Signal Identified in Cancer Cells, Points to New Immunotherapies
Giving thanks to Caleb and all of our stem cell pioneers [Video]
For our last blog before the Thanksgiving holiday, we give thanks to the patients and their caregivers who are forging a path toward a new era of regenerative medicine therapies through their participation in CIRM-funded clinical trials. Some of our trials are in the early stages which means they are mainly focused on safety. Participants … Continue reading Giving thanks to Caleb and all of our stem cell pioneers [Video]
Stories that caught our eye: How dying cells could help save lives; could modified blood stem cells reverse diabetes?; and FDA has good news for patients, bad news for rogue clinics
Growing up I loved watching old cowboy movies. Invariably the hero, even though mortally wounded, would manage to save the day and rescue the heroine and/or the town. Now it seems some stem cells perform the same function, dying in order to save the lives of others. Researchers at Kings College in London were trying … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: How dying cells could help save lives; could modified blood stem cells reverse diabetes?; and FDA has good news for patients, bad news for rogue clinics
Progress to a Cure for Bubble Baby Disease
Welcome back to our “Throwback Thursday” series on the Stem Cellar. Over the years, we’ve accumulated an arsenal of exciting stem cell stories about advances towards stem cell-based cures for serious diseases. Today we’re featuring stories about the progress of CIRM-funded clinical trials for the treatment of a devastating, usually fatal, primary immune disease that … Continue reading Progress to a Cure for Bubble Baby Disease
Using heart stem cells to help boys battling a deadly disorder
It’s hard to imagine how missing just one tiny protein can have such a devastating impact on a person. But with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) the lack of a single protein called dystrophin has deadly consequences. Now a new study is offering hope we may be able to help people with this rare genetic … Continue reading Using heart stem cells to help boys battling a deadly disorder
The life of a sleeping muscle stem cell is very busy
For biological processes, knowing when to slow down is as important as knowing when to step on the accelerator. Take for example muscle stem cells. In a healthy state, these cells mostly lay quiet and rarely divide but upon injury, they bolt into action by dividing and specializing into new muscle cells to help repair … Continue reading The life of a sleeping muscle stem cell is very busy
Using stem cells to take an inside approach to fixing damaged livers
Often on the Stem Cellar we write about work that is in a clinical trial. But getting research to that stage takes years and years of dedicated work. Over the next few months we are going to profile some of the scientists we fund who are doing Discovery, or early stage research, to highlight the … Continue reading Using stem cells to take an inside approach to fixing damaged livers
How a tiny patch of skin helped researchers save the life of a young boy battling a deadly disease
By any standards epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a nasty disease. It’s a genetic condition that causes the skin to blister, break and tear off. At best, it’s painful and disfiguring. At worst, it can be fatal. Now researchers in Italy have come up with an approach that could offer hope for people battling the … Continue reading How a tiny patch of skin helped researchers save the life of a young boy battling a deadly disease
Stem cell-derived mini-intestines reveal bacteria’s key role in building up a newborn’s gut
The following factoid may induce an identity crisis for some people but it is true that our bodies carry more microbes than human cells. Some studies in 1970’s estimated the ratio at 10:1 though more recent calculations suggest we’re merely half microbe, half human. Because microbes are much smaller than human cells they make up … Continue reading Stem cell-derived mini-intestines reveal bacteria’s key role in building up a newborn’s gut
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