THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Nature Cell Biology cover The global pandemic has highlighted many of the inequities in our health care system, with the virus hitting communities of color the hardest. That has led to calls for greater diversity, equity and inclusion at every level of scientific research and, ultimately, … Continue reading Creating a New Model for Diversity in Scientific and Medical Research
Clinical Trials
Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Dr. Ezra Cohen, photo courtesy UCSD Hematologic malignancies are cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes and include different forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Current treatments can be effective, but in those patients that do not respond, there are few treatment options. Today, … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers
Type 1 diabetes therapy gets go-ahead for clinical trial
ViaCyte's implantable cell-based therapy for type 1 diabetes THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Taking even the most promising therapy and moving it out of the lab and into people is an incredibly complex process and usually requires a great team. Now, two great teams have paired up to do just that … Continue reading Type 1 diabetes therapy gets go-ahead for clinical trial
A year unlike any other – a look back at one year post Prop 14
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST State flag of California 2020 was, by any standards, a pretty wacky year. Pandemic. Political convulsions. And a huge amount of uncertainty as to the funding of life-saving therapies at CIRM. Happily, those all turned out OK. We got vaccines to take care of COVID. The … Continue reading A year unlike any other – a look back at one year post Prop 14
Promising new approach for people with epilepsy
Image courtesy Epilepsy.com THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST A new therapeutic approach, supported by CIRM, that blocks the signals in the brain that can cause epilepsy has been given permission by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be tested in a clinical trial. Nearly 3.5 million Americans suffer from … Continue reading Promising new approach for people with epilepsy
Beware of misleading headlines and claims
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Coronavirus particles, illustration. When the COVID pandemic broke out researchers all over the world scrambled to find new approaches to tackling the virus. Some of these, such as the vaccines, proved remarkably effective. Others, such as the anti-parasite medication ivermectin or the anti-malaria drug chloroquine, were … Continue reading Beware of misleading headlines and claims
Reprogramming brain cells to restore vision after a stroke
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST About one third of stroke survivors experience vision loss. It can be a devastating side effect as most patients will not fully recover their vision and there are currently no reliable treatments available. But thanks to a collaborative effort by two teams of researchers from Purdue … Continue reading Reprogramming brain cells to restore vision after a stroke
A step forward in finding a treatment for a deadly neurological disorder
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST MRI section of a brain affected by ALS with the front section of the brain highlighted Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a nasty disease that steadily attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It’s pretty much always fatal … Continue reading A step forward in finding a treatment for a deadly neurological disorder
Wit, wisdom, and a glimpse into the future
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST As of this moment, there are over two million podcasts and over 48 million episodes to listen to on your favorite listening device. If you’re a true crime enthusiast like me, you’ve surely heard of Casefile or one of the other 94 podcasts on the topic. … Continue reading Wit, wisdom, and a glimpse into the future
Some good news for people with dodgy knees
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST Graphic contrasting a healthy knee with one that has osteoarthritis About 10% of Americans suffer from knee osteoarthritis, a painful condition that can really impair mobility and quality of life. It's often caused by an injury to cartilage, say when you were playing sports in high school … Continue reading Some good news for people with dodgy knees
The Stem Cellar 