Four CIRM Funded Trials Release Results at 2019 ASH Meeting

With more than 17,000 members from nearly 100 countries, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) is an organization composed of clinicians and scientists around the world working to conquer various blood diseases. Currently, they are having their 61st Annual ASH Meeting to highlight some of the exciting work going on in the field. Four of … Continue reading Four CIRM Funded Trials Release Results at 2019 ASH Meeting

Two CIRM supported studies highlighted in Nature as promising approaches for blood disorders

Blood stem cells (blue) are cleared from the bone marrow (purple) before new stem cells can be transplanted.Credit: Dennis Kunkel Microscopy/SPL Problems with blood stem cells, a type of stem cell in your bone marrow that gives rise to various kinds of blood cells, can sometimes result in blood cancer as well as genetic and … Continue reading Two CIRM supported studies highlighted in Nature as promising approaches for blood disorders

The Most Important Gift of All

Photo courtesy American Hospital Association There are many players who have a key role in helping make a stem cell therapy work. The scientists who develop the therapy, the medical team who deliver it and funders like CIRM who provide the money to make this all happen. But vital as they are, in some therapies … Continue reading The Most Important Gift of All

Good news for two CIRM-supported therapies

Jake Javier, a patient in the spinal cord injury stem cell therapy clinical trial It’s always satisfying to see two projects you have supported for a long time do well. That’s particularly true when the projects in question are targeting conditions that have no other effective therapies. This week we learned that a clinical trial … Continue reading Good news for two CIRM-supported therapies

The challenges of living with IPEX

Last week the CIRM Board awarded $5.53 million to Dr. Rosa Bacchetta at Stanford to complete the work necessary to conduct a clinical trial for IPEX syndrome. This is a rare disease caused by mutations in the FOXP3 gene which leaves people with the condition vulnerable to immune system attacks on their organs and tissues. … Continue reading The challenges of living with IPEX

Using film to break down barriers around rare disease

You can read about a disease or hear someone talking about it and be engaged and interested. But when you see and hear the people who have the disease talking about it and the impact it has on their lives, that's when a profound impact occurs. When you look into their eyes and hear them … Continue reading Using film to break down barriers around rare disease

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

How early CIRM support helped an anti-cancer therapy overcome obstacles and help patients

Dr. Catriona Jamieson, UC San Diego When you read about a new drug or therapy being approved to help patients it always seems so simple. Researchers come up with a brilliant idea, test it to make sure it is safe and works, and then get approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to … Continue reading How early CIRM support helped an anti-cancer therapy overcome obstacles and help patients

USC study shows how tumor cells in the bloodstream can target distant organs

Various types of cancer can become particularly aggressive and difficult to treat once they spread from their initial point of origin to other parts of the body. This unfortunate phenomenon, known as metastasis, can make treatment very challenging, decreasing the chance of survival for the patient. In order to better understand this process, a CIRM … Continue reading USC study shows how tumor cells in the bloodstream can target distant organs

UCLA Conducts CAR-T Cell Clinical Trial for Patients with Recurring and Non-Responsive Cancers

Dr. Sarah Larson (left) and Dr. Yvonne Chen (right) There have been many advances made towards the treatment of various cancers, such as deadly forms of leukemia and lymphoma, that were once considered a death sentence and thought to be incurable. Unfortunately, there are still people who do not respond to treatment or eventually relapse … Continue reading UCLA Conducts CAR-T Cell Clinical Trial for Patients with Recurring and Non-Responsive Cancers