When we announced that one of the researchers we fund - Dr. Henry Klassen at the University of California, Irvine - has begun his clinical trial to treat the vision-destroying disease retinitis pigmentosa, we celebrated the excitement felt by the researchers and the hope from people with the disease. But we missed out one group. … Continue reading Cell mate: the man who makes stem cells for clinical trials
Disease Areas
Study Identifies Safer Stem Cell Therapies
To reject or not reject, that is the question facing the human immune system when new tissue or cells are transplanted into the body. Stem cell-therapy promises hope for many debilitating diseases that currently have no cures. However, the issue of immune rejection has prompted scientists to carefully consider how to develop safe stem cell … Continue reading Study Identifies Safer Stem Cell Therapies
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: A groove for healing hearts, model for muscular dystrophy and the ice bucket worked
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. A tight groove could help heal a heart. We have written several posts with the theme “It takes a village to raise a stem cell.” … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: A groove for healing hearts, model for muscular dystrophy and the ice bucket worked
Throwback Thursday: Progress to a Cure for ALS
Welcome to our new “Throwback Thursday” (TBT) series. CIRM’s Stem Cellar blog has a rich archive of stem cell content that is too valuable to let dust bunnies take over. So we decided to brush off some of our older, juicy stories and see what advancements in stem cell research science have been made since! … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Progress to a Cure for ALS
Alzheimer’s Nightmare Spurs Comedy Fundraiser to Help Caregivers – New Video
You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium. The audience of young stem cell researchers was gripped by every word of Lauren Miller’s heartbreaking story about the impact that Alzheimer’s disease has had on her family. Only a child when her grandfather was diagnosed with and later died of Alzheimer’s, she mistook his symptoms, … Continue reading Alzheimer’s Nightmare Spurs Comedy Fundraiser to Help Caregivers – New Video
New Regenerative Liver Cells Identified
It’s common knowledge that your liver is a champion when it comes to regeneration. It’s actually one of the few internal organs in the human body that can robustly regenerate itself after injury. Other organs such as the heart and lungs do not have the same regenerative response and instead generate scar tissue to protect … Continue reading New Regenerative Liver Cells Identified
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: shutting down cancer stem cells, safer BMT, better gene therapy and a 3rd ear
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. A new route to shut down cancer stem cells. A team at Texas A&M University has discovered a specific protein’s role in keeping cancer stem … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: shutting down cancer stem cells, safer BMT, better gene therapy and a 3rd ear
Specialized Embryonic Stem Cells Yield Insights into X Chromosome Inactivation
Please don’t be intimidated by the title of this post! By the end of this blog, you’ll be well versed in X chromosome inactivation, and you’ll understand why you should care about this topic. Males and females are different in countless ways, but the underlying cause of these differences originates with chromosomes. Women have two … Continue reading Specialized Embryonic Stem Cells Yield Insights into X Chromosome Inactivation
Da Mayor and the clinical trial that could help save his vision
Former San Francisco Mayor and California State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown is many things, but shy is not one of them. A profile of him in the San Francisco Chronicle once described him as “Brash, smart, confident”. But for years Da Mayor – as he is fondly known in The City – said very little … Continue reading Da Mayor and the clinical trial that could help save his vision
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Prostate cancer and BPA, mini organs and diabetes trial
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. Latest mini-organ, a prostate, fingers BPA. A team at the University of Illinois, at Chicago, has added the prostate gland to the growing list of … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Prostate cancer and BPA, mini organs and diabetes trial