DNA is the fundamental molecule to all living things. The genetic sequences embedded in its double-helical structure contain the instructions for producing proteins, the building blocks of our cells. When our cells divide, DNA readily unzips into two strands and makes a copy of itself for each new daughter cell. In a Nature Communications report … Continue reading Harnessing DNA as a programmable instruction kit for stem cell function
Arthritis
Stories that caught our eye: color me stem cells, delivering cell therapy with nanomagnets, and stem cell decisions
Nanomagnets: the future of targeted stem cell therapies? Your blood vessels are made up of tightly-packed endothelial cells. This barrier poses some big challenges for the delivery of drugs via the blood. While small molecules are able make their way through the small gaps in the blood vessel walls, larger drug molecules, including proteins and cells, … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: color me stem cells, delivering cell therapy with nanomagnets, and stem cell decisions
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: new baldness treatments?, novel lung stem cells, and giraffe stem cells
Novel immune system/stem cell interaction may lead to better treatments for baldness. When one thinks of the immune system it’s usually in terms of the body’s ability to fight off a bad cold or flu virus. But a team of UCSF researchers this week report in Cell that a particular cell of the immune system is … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: new baldness treatments?, novel lung stem cells, and giraffe stem cells
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: spinal cord injury trial keeps pace; SMART cells make cartilage and drugs
CIRM-funded spinal cord injury trial keeping a steady pace Taking an idea for a stem cell treatment and developing it into a Food and Drug Administration-approved cell therapy is like running the Boston Marathon because it requires incremental progress rather than a quick sprint. Asterias Biotherapeutics continues to keep a steady pace and to hit … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: spinal cord injury trial keeps pace; SMART cells make cartilage and drugs
License to heal: UC Davis deal looks to advance stem cell treatment for bone loss and arthritis
There are many challenges in taking even the most promising stem cell treatment and turning it into a commercial product approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One of the biggest is expertise. The scientists who develop the therapy may be brilliant in the lab but have little experience or expertise in successfully getting … Continue reading License to heal: UC Davis deal looks to advance stem cell treatment for bone loss and arthritis
Translating great stem cell ideas into effective therapies
In science, there are a lot of terms that could easily mystify people without a research background; “translational” is not one of them. Translational research simply means to take findings from basic research and advance them into something that is ready to be tested in people in a clinical trial. Yesterday our Governing Board approved … Continue reading Translating great stem cell ideas into effective therapies
Finally a possible use for your excess fat; using it to fix your arthritic knee
One of the most common questions we get asked at CIRM, almost every other day to be honest, is “are there any stem cell treatments for people with arthritis in their knees?” It’s not surprising. This is a problem that plagues millions of Americans and is one of the leading causes of disability in the … Continue reading Finally a possible use for your excess fat; using it to fix your arthritic knee
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: reducing radiation damage, making good cartilage, watching muscle repair and bar coding cells
Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Stem cells key to reducing radiation damage. With the anniversary of Hiroshima and President Obama’s historic visit to the site all over the news this … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: reducing radiation damage, making good cartilage, watching muscle repair and bar coding cells
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: the future of iPS cells, a biopen for arthritis, shistosomiasis and early embryos
Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Discoverer predicts bright clinical future for iPSCs. Shinya Yamanaka, who won the Nobel Prize in 2012 for figuring out how to reprogram adult cells into … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: the future of iPS cells, a biopen for arthritis, shistosomiasis and early embryos
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Kidney stem cells, high fat diets, breast cancer and sore joints
Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Young source of kidney stem cells. Some of our organs, like our liver and gut have massive armies of stem cells that can replace and … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Kidney stem cells, high fat diets, breast cancer and sore joints
The Stem Cellar 