Investing in CAR T-cell therapy to treat cancer

Photo credit: UC Regents  The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is investing $4 million to support Dr. William Murphy and UC Davis researchers to develop and test a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to treat various B-cell malignancies, ranging from lymphomas to leukemias.  In this Q&A—courtesy of UC Davis Health—Dr. Murphy discusses the importance of T-cell therapy and its implications … Continue reading Investing in CAR T-cell therapy to treat cancer

How CIRM contributed to City of Hope study helping man with HIV into long-term remission

The news that a stem cell transplant at City of Hope helped a man with HIV go into long-term remission made banner headlines around the world. As it should. It’s a huge achievement, particularly as the 66-year-old man had been living with HIV since 1988. What wasn’t reported was that work supported by the California … Continue reading How CIRM contributed to City of Hope study helping man with HIV into long-term remission

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

Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Dr. Ezra Cohen, photo courtesy UCSD Hematologic malignancies are cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes and include different forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Current treatments can be effective, but in those patients that do not respond, there are few treatment options. Today, … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers

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

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

De-stressing stem cells and the Bonnie & Clyde of stem cells

Dr. John Cashman The cells in our body are constantly signalling with each other, it's a critical process by which cells communicate not just with other cells but also with elements within themselves. One of the most important signalling pathways is called Wnt. This plays a key role in early embryonic and later development. But … Continue reading De-stressing stem cells and the Bonnie & Clyde of stem cells

Cures, clinical trials and unmet medical needs

When you have a great story to tell there’s no shame in repeating it as often as you can. After all, not everyone gets to hear first time around. Or second or third time. So that’s why we wanted to give you another opportunity to tune into some of the great presentations and discussions at … Continue reading Cures, clinical trials and unmet medical needs