Scientists Engineer Stem Cells to Fight HIV

Image of the virus that causes AIDS - courtesy NIH If that headline seems familiar it should. It came from an article in MIT Technology Review back in 2009. There have been many other headlines since then, all on the same subject, and yet here we are, in 2020, and still no cure for HIV/AIDS. … Continue reading Scientists Engineer Stem Cells to Fight HIV

CIRM Board Funds its First Clinical Study for COVID-19

Dr. John Zaia, City of hope Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) continued its commitment to help with the coronavirus pandemic by awarding $749,999 to Dr. John Zaia at City of Hope.  He will be conducting a clinical study to administer blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat … Continue reading CIRM Board Funds its First Clinical Study for COVID-19

New CAR-T cell therapy using scorpion venom developed to treat brain tumors

Contributed by Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain) Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive form of cancer that begins in the brain and results in tumors that can be very difficult to treat. This condition has claimed the lives of Beau Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden's son, and John McCain, former Senator of Arizona. However, a new … Continue reading New CAR-T cell therapy using scorpion venom developed to treat brain tumors

CIRM Board Awards $15.8 Million to Four Translational Research Projects

Last week, the CIRM Board approved $32.92 million in awards directed towards four new clinical trials in vision related diseases and Parkinson's Disease. In addition to these awards, the Board also approved investing $15.80 million in four awards in the Translational Research program. The goal of this program is to help promising projects complete the … Continue reading CIRM Board Awards $15.8 Million to Four Translational Research Projects

Stem Cell Agency Approves Funding for Clinical Trials Targeting Parkinson’s Disease and Blindness

The governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) yesterday invested $32.92 million to fund the Stem Cell Agency’s first clinical trial in Parkinson’s disease (PD), and to support three clinical trials targeting different forms of vision loss. This brings the total number of clinical trials funded by CIRM to 60. The PD … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Approves Funding for Clinical Trials Targeting Parkinson’s Disease and Blindness

CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Breast Cancer Related Brain Metastases

Dr. Saul Priceman Yesterday the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $9.28 million to Dr. Saul Priceman at City of Hope to conduct a clinical trial for the treatment of breast cancer related brain metastases, which are tumors in the brain that have spread from the original site of the … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Breast Cancer Related Brain Metastases

Regulated, reputable, and reliable – distinguishing legitimate clinical trials from predatory clinics

Here at CIRM, we get calls every day from patients asking us if there are any trials or therapies available to treat their illness or an illness affecting a loved one. Unfortunately, there are some predatory clinics that try to take advantage of this desperation by advertising unproven and unregulated treatments for a wide range … Continue reading Regulated, reputable, and reliable – distinguishing legitimate clinical trials from predatory clinics

Advancing stem cell research in many ways

Speakers at the Alpha Stem Cell Clinics Network Symposium: Photo by Marco Sanchez From Day One CIRM’s goal has been to advance stem cell research in California. We don’t do that just by funding the most promising research -though the 51 clinical trials we have funded to date clearly shows we do that rather well … Continue reading Advancing stem cell research in many ways

Mending Stem Cells: The Past, Present & Future of Regenerative Medicine

UCSF's Mission Bay Campus For years we have talked about the “promise” and the “potential” of stem cells to cure patients. But more and more we are seeing firsthand how stem cells can change a patient’s life, even saving it in some cases. That’s the theme of the 4th Annual CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinics … Continue reading Mending Stem Cells: The Past, Present & Future of Regenerative Medicine

Mending Stem Cells: The Past, Present and Future of Regenerative Medicine

To Mend: (verb used with object) to make (something broken, worn, torn or otherwise damaged) whole, sound or usable by repairing. It’s remarkable to believe, but today doctors literally have the tools to repair damaged cells. These tools are being used to treat people with diseases that were once incurable. The field of regenerative medicine has made tremendous … Continue reading Mending Stem Cells: The Past, Present and Future of Regenerative Medicine