Stem Cell Roundup: Rainbow Sherbet Fruit Fly Brains, a CRISPR/iPSC Mash-up and more

This week’s Round Up is all about the brain with some CRISPR and iPSCs sprinkled in: Our Cool Stem Cell Image of the Week comes from Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute: This rainbow sherbet-colored scientific art is a microscopy image of a fruit fly nervous system in which brain cells were randomly labeled with different colors. … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Rainbow Sherbet Fruit Fly Brains, a CRISPR/iPSC Mash-up and more

Modeling the Human Brain in 3D

Can you guess what the tiny white balls are in this photo? I’ll give you a hint, they represent the organ that you’re using right now to answer my question. These are 3D brain organoids generated from human pluripotent stem cells growing in a culture dish. You can think of them as miniature models of … Continue reading Modeling the Human Brain in 3D

Stem Cell RoundUp: CIRM Clinical Trial Updates & Mapping Human Brain

It was a very CIRMy news week on both the clinical trial and discovery research fronts. Here are some the highlights: Stanford cancer-fighting spinout to Genentech: 'Don't eat me' – San Francisco Business Times Ron Leuty, of the San Francisco Business Times, reported this week on not one, but two news releases from CIRM grantee … Continue reading Stem Cell RoundUp: CIRM Clinical Trial Updates & Mapping Human Brain

CIRM interviews Lorenz Studer: 2017 recipient of the Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize [Video]

For eight long years, researchers who were trying to develop a stem cell-based therapy for Parkinson’s disease – an incurable movement disorder marked by uncontrollable shaking, body stiffness and difficulty walking – found themselves lost in the proverbial wilderness. In initial studies, rodent stem cells were successfully coaxed to specialize into dopamine-producing nerve cells, the … Continue reading CIRM interviews Lorenz Studer: 2017 recipient of the Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize [Video]

Hey, what’s the big idea? CIRM Board is putting up more than $16.4 million to find out

When you have a life-changing, life-threatening disease, medical research never moves as quickly as you want to find a new treatment. Sometimes, as in the case of Parkinson’s disease, it doesn’t seem to move at all. At our Board meeting last week David Higgins, our Board member and Patient Advocate for Parkinson’s disease, made that … Continue reading Hey, what’s the big idea? CIRM Board is putting up more than $16.4 million to find out

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: the tale of a tail that grows back and Zika’s devious Trojan Horse

The tale of a tail that grows back (Kevin McCormack) Ask people what they know about geckos and the odds are they’ll tell you geckos have English accents and sell car insurance. Which tells you a lot more about the power of advertising than it does about the level of knowledge about lizards. Which is … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: the tale of a tail that grows back and Zika’s devious Trojan Horse

Stanford scientists are growing brain stem cells in bulk using 3D hydrogels

This blog is the final installment in our #MonthofCIRM series. Be sure to check out our other blogs highlighting important advances in CIRM-funded research and initiatives. Neural stem cells from the brain have promising potential as cell-based therapies for treating neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, and spinal cord injury. A limiting factor preventing … Continue reading Stanford scientists are growing brain stem cells in bulk using 3D hydrogels

CIRM stories that caught our eye: UCSD team stops neuromuscular disease in mice, ALS trial enrolls 1st patients and Q&A with CIRM Prez

Ordinarily, we end each week at the Stem Cellar with a few stem cell stories that caught our eye. But, for the past couple of weeks we've been busy churning out stories related to our Month of CIRM blog series, which we hope you've found enlightening. To round out the series, we present this "caught … Continue reading CIRM stories that caught our eye: UCSD team stops neuromuscular disease in mice, ALS trial enrolls 1st patients and Q&A with CIRM Prez

CIRM-Funded Clinical Trials Targeting Brain and Eye Disorders

This blog is part of our Month of CIRM series, which features our Agency’s progress towards achieving our mission to accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs.  This week, we’re highlighting CIRM-funded clinical trials to address the growing interest in our rapidly expanding clinical portfolio. Our Agency has funded a total of … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Clinical Trials Targeting Brain and Eye Disorders

CIRM Bridges Student Researcher Discovers Mentoring is a Two-Way Street

Jasmine Carter is a CIRM Bridges Scholar a Sacramento State University. She currently is interning in the lab of Dr. Kyle Fink at UC Davis and her research focuses on developing induced neurons from skin cells to model neurological disorders and develop novel therapeutics. Jasmine was a mentor to one of our UC Davis CIRM … Continue reading CIRM Bridges Student Researcher Discovers Mentoring is a Two-Way Street