ICYMI – From Undergratuate to Hero: Solano Student’s Life-Saving Bone Marrow Match Begins with One Swab

Image Source: Jose Solorio At the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), we believe stem cells have the potential to change lives. Jose Solorio, a Solano Community College student and participant in CIRM’s COMPASS training program, has firsthand experience in witnessing the power of stem cells as a donor. As part of CIRM's COMPASS program, … Continue reading ICYMI – From Undergratuate to Hero: Solano Student’s Life-Saving Bone Marrow Match Begins with One Swab

From Undergraduate to Hero: Solano Student’s Life-Saving Bone Marrow Match Begins with One Swab

SCC student and CIRM trainee Jose Solorio donated bone marrow to save an 11-year-old patient's life in New York. In a remarkable display of compassion and scientific collaboration, Solano Community College (SCC) student Jose Solorio, a scholar in the college's biomanufacturing bachelor's program, has become a real-life hero. Through Solano’s partnership with the National Marrow … Continue reading From Undergraduate to Hero: Solano Student’s Life-Saving Bone Marrow Match Begins with One Swab

CIRM awards $8 million to Support Groundbreaking Gene Therapy for AML and MDS

Image source: Canva  Around 20,000 Americans are affected by acute myeloid leukemia (AML) each year. AML is a type of cancer that originates in the bone marrow and rapidly enters the bloodstream. Additionally, many individuals are impacted by myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), which are blood disorders that result in the improper formation or functioning of blood … Continue reading CIRM awards $8 million to Support Groundbreaking Gene Therapy for AML and MDS

CIRM awards $26 million to boost clinical trials for cancer, heart, and rare diseases

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is proud to announce the allocation of $26 million to support clinical research targeting a range of cancers, heart conditions, and rare diseases. This significant funding underscores CIRM’s commitment to advancing innovative stem cell and gene therapy-based treatments through all stages of clinical trial development. This latest round … Continue reading CIRM awards $26 million to boost clinical trials for cancer, heart, and rare diseases

Tackling sickle cell disease from within

Photo Credit: Jaquell Chandler Evie Junior was born with sickle cell disease, a life-threatening condition that affects around 100,000 Americans, most of them Black and Latino. People with sickle cell disease have blood cells that are shaped like a hook (or sickle) rather than smooth and round, which can create clogs, causing intense pain, organ … Continue reading Tackling sickle cell disease from within

Study could pave the way in reducing decline in muscle strength as people age 

A study by Stanford Medicine researchers in older mice may lead to treatments that help seniors regain muscle strength lost to aging. Muscle stem cells—which are activated in response to muscle injury to regenerate damaged muscle tissue—lose their potency with age. A study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that five percent … Continue reading Study could pave the way in reducing decline in muscle strength as people age 

Fast Track Designation for a therapy making transplants safer for children with a fatal immune disorder

Bone marrow transplant For children born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) life can be very challenging. SCID means they have no functioning immune system, so even a simple infection can prove life threatening. Left untreated, children with SCID often die in the first few years of life. There are stem cell/gene therapies funded by the … Continue reading Fast Track Designation for a therapy making transplants safer for children with a fatal immune disorder

Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in 19 Discovery Research Programs Targeting Cancers, Heart Disease and Other Disorders

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Dr. Judy Shizuru, Stanford University While stem cell and gene therapy research has advanced dramatically in recent years, there are still many unknowns and many questions remaining about how best to use these approaches in developing therapies. That’s why the governing Board of the California Institute … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in 19 Discovery Research Programs Targeting Cancers, Heart Disease and Other Disorders

CIRM-supported therapy for blood cancers gets FDA fast track

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST People often complain about how long it can take to turn a scientific discovery into an approved therapy for patients. And they’re right. It can take years, decades even. But for Immune-Onc Therapeutics the path to FDA approval may just have been shortened. Back in April … Continue reading CIRM-supported therapy for blood cancers gets FDA fast track

Two Early-Stage Research Programs Targeting Cartilage Damage Get Funding from Stem Cell Agency

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Darryl D'Lima: Scripps Health Every year millions of Americans suffer damage to their cartilage, either in their knee or other joints, that can eventually lead to osteoarthritis, pain and immobility. Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) approved two projects targeting … Continue reading Two Early-Stage Research Programs Targeting Cartilage Damage Get Funding from Stem Cell Agency