Don’t Be Afraid: High school stem cell researcher on inspiring girls to pursue STEM careers

As part of our CIRM scholar blog series, we’re featuring the research and career accomplishments of CIRM funded students. Shannon Larsuel is a high school senior at Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena California. Last summer, she participated in Stanford’s CIRM SPARK high school internship program and did stem cell research in a lab that studies … Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid: High school stem cell researcher on inspiring girls to pursue STEM careers

Stem Cell Stories That Caught Our Eye: Three new ways to target cancer stem 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. Targeting cancer stem cells. This week, three studies came out with novel ways for targeting cancer stem cells in different types of cancers. Here’s a … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories That Caught Our Eye: Three new ways to target cancer stem cells

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: drug safety for heart cells, worms hijack plant stem cells & battling esophageal cancer

Devising a drug safety measuring stick in stem cell-derived heart muscle cells One of the mantras in the drug development business is “fail early”. That’s because most of the costs of getting a therapy to market occur at the later stages when an experimental treatment is tested in clinical trials in people. So, it’s best … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: drug safety for heart cells, worms hijack plant stem cells & battling esophageal cancer

Curing the Incurable through Definitive Medicine

“Curing the Incurable”. That was the theme for the first annual Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine (CDCM) Symposium held last week at Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California. The CDCM is a joint initiative amongst Stanford Healthcare, Stanford Children’s Health and the Stanford School of Medicine. Its mission is to foster an environment that … Continue reading Curing the Incurable through Definitive Medicine

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

Stem Cell Profiles in Courage: Karl’s Fight with Cancer

When I think of a pioneer I have an image in my head of people heading west across the Americans plains in the 18th century, riding in a covered wagon pulled by weary oxen. Karl Trede doesn’t fit that image at all. He is a trim, elegant man who has a ready smile and a … Continue reading Stem Cell Profiles in Courage: Karl’s Fight with Cancer

Stem cell and gene therapy research gets a good report card from industry leader

The state of the regenerative medicine field is strong and getting stronger. That was the bottom line verdict at the 2017 Cell and Gene Therapies State of the Industry briefing in San Francisco. The briefing, an annual update on the field presented by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), gave a “by the numbers” look … Continue reading Stem cell and gene therapy research gets a good report card from industry leader

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: designer socks for cancer patients, stem-cell derived stomachs and fighting off bone infections

Inspiring cancer patients with designer socks. (Karen Ring) Here’s a motivating story we found in the news this week about a cancer survivor who’s bringing inspiration to other cancer patients with designer socks. Yes, you read that correctly, socks. Jake Teitelbaum is a student at Wake Forest University and suffers from a rare form of blood … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: designer socks for cancer patients, stem-cell derived stomachs and fighting off bone infections

Genetically engineered immune cells melt away deadly brain tumors

Cancers come in many different forms. Some are treatable if caught early and other aren’t. One of the most deadly types of cancers are glioblastomas - a particularly aggressive form of brain tumor.  Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma have an average life expectancy of 12-15 months and there is no cure or effective treatment that extends … Continue reading Genetically engineered immune cells melt away deadly brain tumors

Cured by Stem Cells

To get anywhere you need a good map, and you need to check it constantly to make sure you are still on the right path and haven’t strayed off course. A year ago the CIRM Board gave us a map, a Strategic Plan, that laid out our course for the next five years. Our Annual … Continue reading Cured by Stem Cells