Say Hello to CIRM’s New Active Awards Portfolio Dashboard (Video Included!)

It takes a lot of time, money and effort to develop a promising stem cell research idea into an effective treatment that can help patients. Oftentimes, you don’t hear about the early-stage research that goes into developing a particular treatment until it reaches the clinic. CIRM recognizes the importance of investing in all stages of … Continue reading Say Hello to CIRM’s New Active Awards Portfolio Dashboard (Video Included!)

Stem Cell Agency Heads to Inland Empire for Free Patient Advocate Event

I am embarrassed to admit that I have never been to the Inland Empire in California, the area that extends from San Bernardino to Riverside counties.  That’s about to change. On Monday, April 16th CIRM is taking a road trip to UC Riverside, and we’re inviting you to join us. We are holding a special, … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Heads to Inland Empire for Free Patient Advocate Event

Stem cell clinics make big claims but offer little evidence they can treat osteoarthritic knees

If someone says they have a success rate of close to 100 percent in treating a major health problem but offer little evidence to back that up, you might be excused for being more than a tad skeptical. And a new study says you would be right. The health problem in question is osteoarthritis (OA) … Continue reading Stem cell clinics make big claims but offer little evidence they can treat osteoarthritic knees

Stem Cell Patch Restores Vision in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Two UK patients suffering from vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have regained their sight thanks to a stem cell-based retinal patch developed by researchers from UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). The preliminary results of this promising Phase 1 clinical study were published yesterday in the journal Nature Biotechnology. AMD is one of the … Continue reading Stem Cell Patch Restores Vision in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Inspiring Video: UC Irvine Stem Cell Trial Gives Orange County Woman Hope in Her Fight Against ALS

Last week, we lost one of our greatest, most influential scientific minds. Stephen Hawking, a famous British theoretical physicist and author of “A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes”, passed away at the age of 76. Hawking lived most of his adult life in a wheelchair because he suffered from … Continue reading Inspiring Video: UC Irvine Stem Cell Trial Gives Orange County Woman Hope in Her Fight Against ALS

Lessons Learned & Knowledge Shared: 3rd Annual Alpha Clinics Symposium Celebrates the Delivery of Stem Cell Treatments to Patients

The CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinics (ASCC) Network was launched in 2015 to address a compelling unmet medical need for rigorous, FDA regulated, stem cell-related clinical trials for patients with challenging, incurable diseases. Since its inception, the Network has treated more than 200 patients in over 40 clinical trials at six leading California medical centers: … Continue reading Lessons Learned & Knowledge Shared: 3rd Annual Alpha Clinics Symposium Celebrates the Delivery of Stem Cell Treatments to Patients

CIRM-funded clinical trial takes a combination approach to treating deadly blood cancers

A diagnosis of cancer often means a tough road ahead, with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation used to try and kill the tumor. Even then, sometimes cancer cells manage to survive and return later, spreading throughout the body. Now researchers at UC San Diego and Oncternal Therapeutics are teaming up with a combination approach they hope … Continue reading CIRM-funded clinical trial takes a combination approach to treating deadly blood cancers

It’s World Kidney Day: Highlighting CIRM’s Investments in Treating Kidney Failure

Today is World Kidney Day. Hundreds of events across the globe are taking place “to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.” (Side note: in recognition that today is also International Women’s Day, World … Continue reading It’s World Kidney Day: Highlighting CIRM’s Investments in Treating Kidney Failure

Breaking the isolation of rare diseases

How can something that affects 30 million Americans, one in ten people in the US, be called rare? But that’s the case with people who have a rare disease. There are around 7,000 different diseases that are categorized as rare because they affect fewer than 200,000 people. Less than five percent of these diseases have … Continue reading Breaking the isolation of rare diseases

Friday Roundup: A better kind of blood stem cell transplant; Encouraging news from spinal cord injury trial; Finding an “elusive” cell that could help diabetics

Cool Instagram image of the week: Chemo- and radiation-free blood stem cell transplant showing promise Bubble baby disease, also known as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), is an inherited disorder that leaves newborns without an effective immune system. Currently, the only approved treatment for SCID is a blood stem cell transplant, in which the patient’s defective … Continue reading Friday Roundup: A better kind of blood stem cell transplant; Encouraging news from spinal cord injury trial; Finding an “elusive” cell that could help diabetics