Stepping out of the darkness into light. That’s how patients are describing their experience after participating in a CIRM-funded clinical trial targeting a rare form of vision loss called retinitis pigmentosa (RP). jCyte, the company conducting the trial, announced 12 month results for its candidate stem cell-based treatment for RP. RP is a genetic disorder … Continue reading jCyte Shares Encouraging Update on Clinical Trial for Retinitis Pigmentosa
Blindness
A Patient Advocate’s Personal Manifesto
Janni Lehrer-Stein was just 26 when she was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease and told she was going to be blind within six months. The doctor who gave her the news told her “But don’t worry, people like you are usually hit and killed by a bus long before they go completely blind.” At … Continue reading A Patient Advocate’s Personal Manifesto
Treatments, cures and clinical trials: an in-person update on CIRM’s progress
Patients and Patient Advocates are at the heart of everything we do at CIRM. That’s why we are holding three free public events in the next few months focused on updating you on the stem cell research we are funding, and our plans for the future. Right now we have 33 projects that we have … Continue reading Treatments, cures and clinical trials: an in-person update on CIRM’s progress
Throwback Thursday: Progress to a Cure for Diseases of Blindness
Welcome back to our “Throwback Thursday” series on the Stem Cellar. Over the years, we’ve accumulated an arsenal of exciting stem cell stories about advances towards stem cell-based cures for serious diseases. This month we’re featuring stories about CIRM-funded clinical trials for blindness. 2017 has been an exciting year for two CIRM-funded clinical trials that … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Progress to a Cure for Diseases of Blindness
jCyte gets FDA go-ahead for Fast Track review process of Retinitis Pigmentosa stem cell therapy
When the US Congress approved, and President Obama signed into law, the 21st Century Cures Act last year there was guarded optimism that this would help create a more efficient and streamlined, but no less safe, approval process for the most promising stem cell therapies. Even so many people took a wait and see approach, … Continue reading jCyte gets FDA go-ahead for Fast Track review process of Retinitis Pigmentosa stem cell therapy
jCyte starts second phase of stem cell clinical trial targeting vision loss
Studies show that Americans fear losing their vision more than any other sense, such as hearing or speech, and almost as much as they fear cancer, Alzheimer’s and HIV/AIDS. That’s not too surprising. Our eyes are our connection to the world around us. Sever that connection, and the world is a very different place. For … Continue reading jCyte starts second phase of stem cell clinical trial targeting vision loss
Creating partnerships to help get stem cell therapies over the finish line
Trying to go it alone is never easy. Imagine how far Lewis would have got without Clark, or the two of them without Sacagawea. Would Batman have succeeded without Robin; Mickey without Minnie Mouse? Having a partner whose skills and expertise complements yours just makes things easier. That’s why some recent news about two CIRM-funded … Continue reading Creating partnerships to help get stem cell therapies over the finish line
CIRM Alpha Clinics Network charts a new course for delivering stem cell treatments
Sometimes it feels like finding a cure is the easy part; getting it past all the hurdles it must overcome to be able to reach patients is just as big a challenge. Fortunately, a lot of rather brilliant minds are hard at work to find the most effective ways of doing just that. Last week, … Continue reading CIRM Alpha Clinics Network charts a new course for delivering stem cell treatments
Three people left blind by Florida clinic’s unproven stem cell therapy
The report makes for chilling reading. Three women, all suffering from macular degeneration – the leading cause of vision loss in the US – went to a Florida clinic hoping that a stem cell therapy would save their eyesight. Instead, it caused all three to go blind. The study, in the latest issue of the … Continue reading Three people left blind by Florida clinic’s unproven stem cell therapy
Stories that caught our eye: new target for killing leukemia cancer stem cells and stem cell vesicles halt glaucoma
New stem cell target for acute myeloid leukemia (Karen Ring). A new treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer that turns bone marrow stem cells cancerous, could be in the works in the form of a cancer stem cell destroying antibody. Scientists from the NYU Langone Medical Center and the Memorial Sloan … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: new target for killing leukemia cancer stem cells and stem cell vesicles halt glaucoma
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