If stretched out end to end, the DNA in just one cell of your body would reach a whopping six feet in length. A complex cellular structure called chromatin – made up of coils upon coils of DNA and protein – makes it possible to fit all that DNA into a single cell nucleus that’s … Continue reading Wiping out a cell’s identity shifts cellular reprogramming into high gear
Cell Type
Using baking ingredient to create “nano” bombs and destroy cancer stem cells
"I am not a cook". Richard Nixon and the baking ingredient that could help win the "war on cancer" In 1971 President Richard Nixon declared a “war on cancer” and signed the National Cancer Act into law. Forty years later we’re still waging that war, and cancer is still one of the leading causes of … Continue reading Using baking ingredient to create “nano” bombs and destroy cancer stem cells
CIRM Scholar Spotlight: Berkeley’s Maroof Adil on stem cell transplants for Parkinson’s disease
Stem cell therapy has a lot of potential for Parkinson’s patients and the scientists that study it. One of our very own CIRM scholars, Maroof Adil, is making it his mission to develop stem cell based therapies to treat brain degenerating diseases like Parkinson’s. Maroof got his undergraduate degrees from MIT in both Chemical Engineering … Continue reading CIRM Scholar Spotlight: Berkeley’s Maroof Adil on stem cell transplants for Parkinson’s disease
Smoking out Leukemia Cells to Prevent Cancer Relapse
Ninety-five percent of all patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), carry a Frankenstein-like gene, called BCR-ABL, created from an abnormal fusion of two genes normally found on two separate chromosomes. Like a water faucet without a shutoff valve, the resulting mutant protein is stuck in an “on” position and leads to uncontrolled cell division and … Continue reading Smoking out Leukemia Cells to Prevent Cancer Relapse
Type 1 Diabetes Trial Explained Whiteboard Video Style
There’s a saying, a picture is worth a thousand words. With complicated science however, pictures don’t always do these topics justice. Here’s where videos come to the rescue. Today’s topic is type 1 diabetes and a CIRM-funded clinical trial headed by the San Diego company ViaCyte hoping to develop a cure for patients with this disease. Instead of writing an entire … Continue reading Type 1 Diabetes Trial Explained Whiteboard Video Style
Eyeing Stem Cell Therapies for Vision Loss
Back by popular demand (well, at least a handful of you demanded it!) we’re pleased to present the third installment of our Stem Cells in Your Face video series. Episodes one and two set out to explain – in a light-hearted, engaging and clear way – the latest progress in CIRM-funded stem cell research related … Continue reading Eyeing Stem Cell Therapies for Vision Loss
Stem cells could offer hope for deadly childhood muscle wasting disease
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a particularly nasty rare and fatal disease. It predominantly affects boys, slowly robbing them of their ability to control their muscles. By 10 years of age, boys with DMD start to lose the ability to walk; by 12, most need a wheelchair to get around. Eventually they become paralyzed, and … Continue reading Stem cells could offer hope for deadly childhood muscle wasting disease
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: three teams refine cell reprogramming, also stem cell tourism
Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Why stem cells in the lab don’t grow up right. A classic cartoon among stem cell fans shows a stem cell telling a daughter cell … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: three teams refine cell reprogramming, also stem cell tourism
Gene editing in blood stem cells just got easier
Genome editing is a field of science that’s been around for awhile, but has experienced an explosion of activity and interest in recent years. Chances are that even your grandmother has heard about the recent story where for the first time, gene editing saved a one-year-old girl from dying of leukemia. Microsoft word versus genome … Continue reading Gene editing in blood stem cells just got easier
Could We Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease with Stem Cells?
What if you could give people whose memories have been stolen the ability to remember again? I’m talking about curing a population of more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) – not a small task. Unfortunately, this number is predicted to more than triple by 2050, and with it so will healthcare … Continue reading Could We Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease with Stem Cells?
The Stem Cellar 