THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year. It's a time to try and raise awareness about mental health issues and the impact they have not just on the individual but their family, their community and all of us. The theme for … Continue reading Raising awareness about mental health
Aging
City of Hope scientists use stem cells to develop ‘mini-brains’ to study Alzheimer’s and to test drugs in development
Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. According to the non-profit HFC, co-founded by CIRM Board member Lauren Miller Rogen and her husband Seth Rogen, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S and it is estimated … Continue reading City of Hope scientists use stem cells to develop ‘mini-brains’ to study Alzheimer’s and to test drugs in development
Scientists use stem cell ‘mini-brains’ to better understand signs of frontotemporal dementia
Dementia is a general term that describes a set of diseases that impair the ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interfere with doing everyday activities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 50 million people worldwide have dementia with nearly 10 million new cases every year. Although it primarily affects older people … Continue reading Scientists use stem cell ‘mini-brains’ to better understand signs of frontotemporal dementia
A new way to evade immune rejection in transplanting cells
Immune fluorescence of HIP cardiomyocytes in a dish; Photo courtesy of UCSF Transplanting cells or an entire organ from one person to another can be lifesaving but it comes with a cost. To avoid the recipient’s body rejecting the cells or organ the patient has to be given powerful immunosuppressive medications. Those medications weaken the … Continue reading A new way to evade immune rejection in transplanting cells
Sometimes a cold stare is a good thing
A retina of a patient with macular degeneration. (Photo credit: Paul Parker/SPL) Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the elderly in the U.S. It’s estimated that some 11 million Americans could have some form of the disease, a number that is growing every year. So if you … Continue reading Sometimes a cold stare is a good thing
Cures, clinical trials and unmet medical needs
When you have a great story to tell there’s no shame in repeating it as often as you can. After all, not everyone gets to hear first time around. Or second or third time. So that’s why we wanted to give you another opportunity to tune into some of the great presentations and discussions at … Continue reading Cures, clinical trials and unmet medical needs
Repairing damaged muscles
Close-up of the arm of a 70-year-old male patient with a torn biceps muscle as a result of a bowling injury; Photo courtesy Science Photo Library In the time of coronavirus an awful lot of people are not just working from home they’re also working out at home. That’s a good thing; exercise is a … Continue reading Repairing damaged muscles
Could stem cells help reverse hair loss?
I thought that headline would grab your attention. The idea behind it grabbed my attention when I read about a new study in the journal Cell Metabolism that explored that idea and came away with a rather encouraging verdict of “perhaps”. The research team from the University of Helsinki say that on average people lose … Continue reading Could stem cells help reverse hair loss?
Charting a new course for stem cell research
What are the latest advances in stem cell research targeting cancer? Can stem cells help people battling COVID-19 or even help develop a vaccine to stop the virus? What are researchers and the scientific community doing to help address the unmet medical needs of underserved communities? Those are just a few of the topics being … Continue reading Charting a new course for stem cell research
Building a progressive pipeline
Dr. Kelly Shepard By Dr. Kelly Shepard One of our favorite things to do at CIRM is deliver exciting news about CIRM projects. This usually entails discussion of recent discoveries that made headlines, or announcing the launch of a new CIRM-funded clinical trial …. tangible signs of progress towards addressing unmet medical needs through advances … Continue reading Building a progressive pipeline
The Stem Cellar 