The ultimate goal of tissue engineers who work in the regenerative medicine field is to replace damaged or diseased organs with new ones built from stem cells. To accomplish the feat, these researchers are developing new tools and techniques to manipulate and specialize stem cells into three dimensional structures. Some popular methods – which we’ve … Continue reading Attractive new regenerative medicine tool uses magnets to shape and stimulate stem cells
Heart Disease/Stroke
Hearts and brains are center stage at CIRM Patient Advocate event
Describing the work of a government agency is not the most exciting of topics. Books on the subject would probably be found in the “Self-help for Insomniacs” section of a good bookstore (there are still some around). But at CIRM we are fortunate. When we talk about what we do, we don’t talk about the … Continue reading Hearts and brains are center stage at CIRM Patient Advocate event
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: bubble baby therapy a go in UK, in-utero stem cell trial and novel heart disease target
There were lots of CIRM mentions in the news this week. Here are two brief recaps written by Karen Ring to get you up to speed. A third story by Todd Dubnicoff summarizes an promising finding related to heart disease by researchers in Singapore. CIRM-funded “bubble baby” disease therapy gets special designation by UK. … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: bubble baby therapy a go in UK, in-utero stem cell trial and novel heart disease target
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
How mice and zebrafish are unlocking clues to repairing damaged hearts
This may be the first time that the Australian pop group the Bee Gees have ever been featured in a blog about stem cell research, but in this case I think it’s appropriate. One of the Bee Gees biggest hits was “How can you mend a broken heart” and while it was a fine song, … Continue reading How mice and zebrafish are unlocking clues to repairing damaged hearts
Family, faith and funding from CIRM inspire one patient to plan for his future
Having been to many conferences and meetings over the years I have found there is a really simple way to gauge if someone is a good speaker, if they have the attention of people in the room. You just look around and see how many people are on their phones or laptops, checking their email … Continue reading Family, faith and funding from CIRM inspire one patient to plan for his future
One day, scientists could grow the human cardiovascular system from stem cells
The human cardiovascular system is an intricate, complex network of blood vessels that include arteries, capillaries and veins. These structures distribute blood from the heart to all parts of the body, from our head to our toes, and back again. This week, two groups of scientists published studies showing that they can create key components … Continue reading One day, scientists could grow the human cardiovascular system from stem cells
Cancer-causing mutations in blood stem cells may also link to heart disease
Whether we read about it in the news or hear it from our doctor, when we think about the causes of heart disease it’s usually some combination of inheriting bad genes from our parents and making poor life style choices like smoking or eating a diet high in fat and cholesterol. But in a fascinating … Continue reading Cancer-causing mutations in blood stem cells may also link to heart disease
New stem cell technique gives brain support cells a starring role
Astrocytes are some of the most common cells in the brain and central nervous system but they often get overlooked because they play a supporting role to the more glamorous neurons (even though they outnumber them around 50 to 1). But a new way of growing those astrocytes outside the brain could help pave the … Continue reading New stem cell technique gives brain support cells a starring role
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: update on Capricor’s heart attack trial; lithium on the brain; and how stem cells do math
Today our partners Capricor Therapeutics announced that its stem cell therapy for patients who have experienced a large heart attack is unlikely to meet one of its key goals, namely reducing the scar size in the heart 12 months after treatment. The news came after analyzing results from patients at the halfway point of the … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: update on Capricor’s heart attack trial; lithium on the brain; and how stem cells do math
The Stem Cellar 