Delivering on CIRM’s mission of “accelerating stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs” requires the participation of multiple stakeholders to span the research, development, and commercialization phases of bringing a new product to market. In this post, I am pleased to highlight two recent examples of CIRM-funded projects moving beyond their period of … Continue reading Moving Beyond Current CIRM Funding
Neurological Disorders
Parkinson’s blog explains the science behind turning skin cells into a model for the disease
When my colleagues and I write about new advances in stem cell science we often rely on what I refer to as the Sydney Harris method of explaining the science. One of the cartoonist’s most reproduced drawings shows a researcher writing a series of steps on a chalk board with one in the middle being … Continue reading Parkinson’s blog explains the science behind turning skin cells into a model for the disease
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Parkinson’s in a dish, synthetic blood, tracking Huntington’s and cloning
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. 3D nerve model for Parkinson’s. The wave of successes in making more complex tissues in three dimensional lab cultures continues this week with a team … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Parkinson’s in a dish, synthetic blood, tracking Huntington’s and cloning
Building a Bridge to Therapies: Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Restore Feeling to Injured Limbs
It’s been a great week for spinal cord injury-related stem cell research – and it’s only Tuesday. In case you missed it, Asterias Biotherapeutics announced yesterday that they had treated their first clinical trial participant with an embryonic stem cell-based therapy for complete spinal cord injury. “Complete” refers to injuries that cause a total loss … Continue reading Building a Bridge to Therapies: Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Restore Feeling to Injured Limbs
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Spinal cord injury, secret of creating complex tissue, mini brains in a dish and funding
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. Monkey trial provides some hope for spinal cord injury. Stem cell treatments have made many mice and rats walk again after spinal cord injury, but … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Spinal cord injury, secret of creating complex tissue, mini brains in a dish and funding
Old brains in mice given a trait of young brains with embryonic nerve transplant
As we age our brains become less adept at making new nerve connections or repairing broken ones. A CIRM-funded team at the University of California, Irvine, restored this youthful ability, called nerve plasticity, to adult mice by transplanting embryonic nerve cells. Specifically, they worked with mice that had a form of blurred vision known as … Continue reading Old brains in mice given a trait of young brains with embryonic nerve transplant
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: multiple sclerosis, virus genes in embryos and preventing cancer’s spread to the brain
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. Drugs activate brain stem cells in MS. We have frequently written that in some situations our own stem cells may do a better job at … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: multiple sclerosis, virus genes in embryos and preventing cancer’s spread to the brain
Brain’s Own Activity Can Fuel Growth of Deadly Brain Tumors, CIRM-Funded Study Finds
Not all brain tumors are created equal—some are far more deadly than others. Among the most deadly is a type of tumor called high-grade glioma or HGG. Most distressingly, HGG’s are the leading cause of brain tumor death in both children and adults. And despite extraordinary progress in cancer research as a whole, survival rates … Continue reading Brain’s Own Activity Can Fuel Growth of Deadly Brain Tumors, CIRM-Funded Study Finds
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: iPS cells guide ALS trial, genetic link to hearing loss and easier to use stem cell
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. An ALS clinical trial with a twist. It is well known that the disease we call ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, behaves differently in different … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: iPS cells guide ALS trial, genetic link to hearing loss and easier to use stem cell
CIRM-Funded Scientists Build a Better Neuron; Gain New Insight into Motor Neuron Disease
Each individual muscle in our body—no matter how large or how small—is controlled by several types of motor neurons. Damage to one or more types of these neurons can give rise to some of the most devastating motor neuron diseases, many of which have no cure. But now, stem cell scientists at UCLA have manufactured … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Scientists Build a Better Neuron; Gain New Insight into Motor Neuron Disease
The Stem Cellar 