One step closer to making ‘off-the-shelf’ immune cell therapy for cancer a reality 

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses a person's own immune system to fight cancer. It comes in a variety of forms including targeted antibodies, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell therapies. While immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment of aggressive cancers in recent decades, they must be created … Continue reading One step closer to making ‘off-the-shelf’ immune cell therapy for cancer a reality 

Old therapies inspire new hope for treatment of pediatric brain tumors

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Image courtesy St. Jude Children's Research Hospital A recent study led by John Hopkins Medicine has found that combining two 'old therapies' can offer a surprising new purpose - fighting Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children. The fast-growing cancerous tumor originates in the brain … Continue reading Old therapies inspire new hope for treatment of pediatric brain tumors

A new approach to a deadly childhood cancer

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Cancers of the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes (also called hematologic malignancies) are the most common form of cancer in children and young adults. Current treatments can be effective but can also pose life-threatening health risks to the child. Now researchers at Stanford have developed … Continue reading A new approach to a deadly childhood cancer

Lung cancer, Sherlock Holmes and piano

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY Image of lung cancer When we think of lung cancer we typically tend to think it’s the end result of years of smoking cigarettes. But, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 10 and 20 percent of cases of lung cancer (20,000 … Continue reading Lung cancer, Sherlock Holmes and piano

National Academy of Medicine honors CIRM Grantees

YOU CAN ALSO LISTEN TO THIS BLOG AS AN AUDIO PODCAST ON SPOTIFY As someone who is not always as diligent as he would like to be about sending birthday cards on time, I’m used to sending belated greetings to people. So, I have no shame in sending belated greetings to four CIRM grantees who … Continue reading National Academy of Medicine honors CIRM Grantees

CIRM funds clinical trials targeting heart disease, stroke and childhood brain tumors

Gary Steinberg (Jonathan Sprague) Heart disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death and disability and for people who have experienced either their treatment options are very limited. Current therapies focus on dealing with the immediate impact of the attack, but there is nothing to deal with the longer-term impact. The CIRM … Continue reading CIRM funds clinical trials targeting heart disease, stroke and childhood brain tumors

City of Hope researchers discover potential therapy to treat brain tumors

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a common type of aggressive brain tumor that is found in adults.  Survival of this type of brain cancer is poor with just 40% survival in the first-year post diagnosis and 17% in the second year, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.  This disease has taken the life of former … Continue reading City of Hope researchers discover potential therapy to treat brain tumors

Paving the Way

When someone scores a goal in soccer all the attention is lavished on them. Fans chant their name, their teammates pile on top in celebration, their agent starts calling sponsors asking for more money. But there’s often someone else deserving of praise too, that’s the player who provided the assist to make the goal possible … Continue reading Paving the Way

Latest CIRM TRAN1 awards focus on CAR-based cell therapy to treat cancer

Earlier this week the CIRM ICOC Board awarded $14.5 million to fund three translational stage research projects (TRAN1), whose goal is to support early development activities necessary for advancement to a clinical study or broad end use of a potential therapy. Although all three projects have their distinct area of focus, they all utilize CAR-based … Continue reading Latest CIRM TRAN1 awards focus on CAR-based cell therapy to treat cancer

New technique maps out diversity and location of cells in tissue or tumor

Image Description: Alex Marson is part of a team of researchers who developed a new technique to map the specialized diversity and spatial location of individual cells within a tissue or tumor. Photo Credit: Anastasiia Sapon All the cells in your body work together and each can have a different role. Their individual function not … Continue reading New technique maps out diversity and location of cells in tissue or tumor