Honoring Dr. John Zaia: A Legacy of Science, Leadership, and Kindness 

Photo Courtesy: City of Hope The scientific community lost a true pioneer with the passing of John A. Zaia, MD, a visionary virologist, gene therapy trailblazer, and esteemed leader at City of Hope. Dr. Zaia dedicated over four decades to advancing regenerative medicine, leaving a profound impact on HIV research, pediatric diseases, stem cell transplantation, … Continue reading Honoring Dr. John Zaia: A Legacy of Science, Leadership, and Kindness 

How CIRM’s high school internship program inspired this scientist’s career path 

Photos courtesy of Rashi Ranjan Each year, interns and trainees from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) education and training programs celebrate achievements, whether that’s making new discoveries in their cell and gene therapy research or advancing to the next phase of their professional journey.   This summer, Rashi Ranjan—a former SPARK high school intern—is … Continue reading How CIRM’s high school internship program inspired this scientist’s career path 

Equipping California nurses with skills to support cell and gene therapy patients 

Regenerative medicine is a rapidly evolving field. As more therapies reach commercialization and clinical trial stages, there remains an immediate need to equip direct patient care nurses with skills to support patients on complex clinical trials as well as novel standard-of-care therapies.  To address this need and continue efforts to build a regenerative medicine workforce … Continue reading Equipping California nurses with skills to support cell and gene therapy patients 

CIRM awards $25 million for discovery and clinical research, infrastructure programs

Stock image of a researcher The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has recently approved awarding $25 million to fund multiple projects across discovery research, clinical research, and infrastructure programs.This funding will support 11 projects under CIRM's Foundation Awards Program, which aims to drive rigorous studies addressing critical basic knowledge gaps in the biology of … Continue reading CIRM awards $25 million for discovery and clinical research, infrastructure programs

Universal donor stem cells could one day provide lifesaving therapy for lethal brain conditions 

Yanhong Shi, Ph.D., Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope.  Progress is being made to treat cancer patients suffering from degenerative brain diseases.   Scientists at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, have developed universal donor stem cells that could one day provide lifesaving therapy to … Continue reading Universal donor stem cells could one day provide lifesaving therapy for lethal brain conditions 

CIRM Board Approves Funding for New Clinical Trial Targeting Brain Tumors

The governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded almost $12 million to carry out a clinical trial targeting brain tumors. This brings the total number of CIRM funded clinical trials to 83.   $11,999,984 was awarded to Dr. Jana Portnow at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope. They are using Neural stem … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves Funding for New Clinical Trial Targeting Brain Tumors

Life lessons learned in the CIRM summer intern program

SPARK poster session; Photo by Esteban Cortez When I was in high school I spent my summers working in a shoe shop and playing soccer with my mates. It never occurred to me that I could do something really  worthwhile with that time. So, when I meet the high school students who took part in … Continue reading Life lessons learned in the CIRM summer intern program

How CIRM contributed to City of Hope study helping man with HIV into long-term remission

The news that a stem cell transplant at City of Hope helped a man with HIV go into long-term remission made banner headlines around the world. As it should. It’s a huge achievement, particularly as the 66-year-old man had been living with HIV since 1988. What wasn’t reported was that work supported by the California … Continue reading How CIRM contributed to City of Hope study helping man with HIV into long-term remission

Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in 19 Discovery Research Programs Targeting Cancers, Heart Disease and Other Disorders

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Dr. Judy Shizuru, Stanford University While stem cell and gene therapy research has advanced dramatically in recent years, there are still many unknowns and many questions remaining about how best to use these approaches in developing therapies. That’s why the governing Board of the California Institute … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in 19 Discovery Research Programs Targeting Cancers, Heart Disease and Other Disorders

It’s nice to be appreciated

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Photo: courtesy City of Hope No one likes to be taken for granted, to feel that people only like you because you have scads of cash and they want some of it. That’s why it’s so lovely when you feel you are appreciated because of all … Continue reading It’s nice to be appreciated