Last week the CIRM Board awarded $5.53 million to Dr. Rosa Bacchetta at Stanford to complete the work necessary to conduct a clinical trial for IPEX syndrome. This is a rare disease caused by mutations in the FOXP3 gene which leaves people with the condition vulnerable to immune system attacks on their organs and tissues. … Continue reading The challenges of living with IPEX
Disease Areas
CIRM Board Awards $15.8 Million to Four Translational Research Projects
Last week, the CIRM Board approved $32.92 million in awards directed towards four new clinical trials in vision related diseases and Parkinson's Disease. In addition to these awards, the Board also approved investing $15.80 million in four awards in the Translational Research program. The goal of this program is to help promising projects complete the … Continue reading CIRM Board Awards $15.8 Million to Four Translational Research Projects
Using film to break down barriers around rare disease
You can read about a disease or hear someone talking about it and be engaged and interested. But when you see and hear the people who have the disease talking about it and the impact it has on their lives, that's when a profound impact occurs. When you look into their eyes and hear them … Continue reading Using film to break down barriers around rare disease
Stem Cell Agency Approves Funding for Clinical Trials Targeting Parkinson’s Disease and Blindness
The governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) yesterday invested $32.92 million to fund the Stem Cell Agency’s first clinical trial in Parkinson’s disease (PD), and to support three clinical trials targeting different forms of vision loss. This brings the total number of clinical trials funded by CIRM to 60. The PD … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Approves Funding for Clinical Trials Targeting Parkinson’s Disease and Blindness
NIH collaboration aims to develop affordable gene therapies for sickle cell disease and HIV
Sickle cell disease (SCD) and HIV have a major burden on the health of impoverished communities all over the world. Of the 38 million people living with HIV all over the world, approximately 95% reside within developing countries, with 67% in sub-Saharan Africa, half of whom are living without any treatment. Fifteen million babies will … Continue reading NIH collaboration aims to develop affordable gene therapies for sickle cell disease and HIV
How early CIRM support helped an anti-cancer therapy overcome obstacles and help patients
Dr. Catriona Jamieson, UC San Diego When you read about a new drug or therapy being approved to help patients it always seems so simple. Researchers come up with a brilliant idea, test it to make sure it is safe and works, and then get approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to … Continue reading How early CIRM support helped an anti-cancer therapy overcome obstacles and help patients
USC study shows how tumor cells in the bloodstream can target distant organs
Various types of cancer can become particularly aggressive and difficult to treat once they spread from their initial point of origin to other parts of the body. This unfortunate phenomenon, known as metastasis, can make treatment very challenging, decreasing the chance of survival for the patient. In order to better understand this process, a CIRM … Continue reading USC study shows how tumor cells in the bloodstream can target distant organs
UCLA Conducts CAR-T Cell Clinical Trial for Patients with Recurring and Non-Responsive Cancers
Dr. Sarah Larson (left) and Dr. Yvonne Chen (right) There have been many advances made towards the treatment of various cancers, such as deadly forms of leukemia and lymphoma, that were once considered a death sentence and thought to be incurable. Unfortunately, there are still people who do not respond to treatment or eventually relapse … Continue reading UCLA Conducts CAR-T Cell Clinical Trial for Patients with Recurring and Non-Responsive Cancers
CIRM funded research could lead to treatment to prevent recurrence of deadly blood cancer
Chronic myelogenous leukemia Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a cancer of the white blood cells. It causes them to increase in number, crowd out other blood cells, leading to anemia, infection or heavy bleeding. Up until the early 2000’s the main weapon against CML was chemotherapy, but the introduction of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors … Continue reading CIRM funded research could lead to treatment to prevent recurrence of deadly blood cancer
Predicting the Impact of Stem Cell Cures on Healthcare Burden in California
A new independent report says developing stem cell treatments and cures for some of the most common and deadly diseases could produce multi-billion dollar benefits for California in reduced healthcare costs and improved quality and quantity of life. The report, by researchers at the University of Southern California’s Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy … Continue reading Predicting the Impact of Stem Cell Cures on Healthcare Burden in California
The Stem Cellar 