Our bodies are amazingly complex systems. By some estimates there are more than 37 trillion cells in our bodies. That’s trillion with a “t”. Each of those cells engages in some form of communication and signaling with other cells which makes our bodies one heck of a busy place to be. Yet all this activity … Continue reading The key to unlocking stem cell’s potential and blocking a deadly threat
Cell Type
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: cancer fighting virus, lab-grown guts work in dogs, stem cell trial to cure HIV
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. Cancer fighting virus approved for melanoma (Disclaimer: While this isn’t a story about stem cells, it’s pretty cool so I had to include it.) The … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: cancer fighting virus, lab-grown guts work in dogs, stem cell trial to cure HIV
Bipolar Disorder-in-a-Dish: Game On for Finding New Drugs
The tragic path of biopolar disorder Ernest Hemingway, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse and Virginia Woolf – the world lost their creativity too soon. Each took their own life or succumbed to substance abuse, most likely due to their struggles with bipolar disorder. Also called manic depression, bipolar disorder is one of the most severe types of … Continue reading Bipolar Disorder-in-a-Dish: Game On for Finding New Drugs
Embryonic and man-made stem cells are almost identical
For years it has been the stem cell equivalent of the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. The dispute centered on the question of which is better for advancing scientific research and developing new therapies, embryonic stem (ES) cells or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells? The somewhat surprising answer may be that they are both … Continue reading Embryonic and man-made stem cells are almost identical
Have Scientists Found a Stem Cell-lution to Thyroid Disorders?
Have you thanked your thyroid today? If not, you should because your thyroid is essential for many of life’s daily activities and processes that you probably take for granted. You can thank your thyroid for things like regulating your body temperature and appetite, and keeping you energetic, slim, and focused. That’s because these small glands … Continue reading Have Scientists Found a Stem Cell-lution to Thyroid Disorders?
New Video: Spinal Cord Injury and a CIRM-Funded Stem Cell-Based Trial
Just 31 years old, Richard Lajara thought he was going to die. On September 9, 2011 he slipped on some rocks at a popular swimming hole and was swept down a waterfall headfirst into a shallow, rocky pool of water. Though he survived, the fall left him paralyzed from the waist down due to a … Continue reading New Video: Spinal Cord Injury and a CIRM-Funded Stem Cell-Based Trial
CIRM Scholar Helen Fong on Stem Cells and Brain Disease
Meet another one of our talented CIRM Scholars, Helen Fong. She is currently a Research Scientist at the Gladstone Institutes and did her graduate work at the University of California, Irvine. Her passions include stem cells, disease modeling, and playing with differentiation protocols – the processes that tell stem cells to mature into specific tissues. … Continue reading CIRM Scholar Helen Fong on Stem Cells and Brain Disease
From Stem Cells to Cures with Shinya Yamanaka and Google Ventures
How do you go from basic stem cell research to cures for patients? We ask this question everyday at CIRM, and we’re not alone in our tireless pursuit to find answers to this challenging question. In fact, two leaders on different sides of the stem cell arena - research and investment - came together last … Continue reading From Stem Cells to Cures with Shinya Yamanaka and Google Ventures
Keeping elderly cells old to understand the aging process
Aging is a key risk factor for many diseases, particularly disorders of the brain like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, which primarily occur in the elderly. So a better understanding of the aging process should provide a better understanding of these neurodegenerative diseases. The induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technique makes it possible to grow human brain … Continue reading Keeping elderly cells old to understand the aging process
The New World That iPS Cells Will Bring
A stem cell champion was crowned last month. Dr. Takahashi from the RIKEN center in Japan received the prestigious Ogawa-Yamanaka Prize for developing a human iPS cell therapy to treat a debilitating eye disease called macular degeneration. We wrote about the event held at the Gladstone Institutes in a previous blog and saved the juicy insights … Continue reading The New World That iPS Cells Will Bring
The Stem Cellar 