An illustration of a macrophage, a vital part of the immune system, engulfing and destroying a cancer cell. Antibody 5F9 blocks a "don't eat me" signal emitted from cancer cells. Courtesy of Forty Seven, Inc. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are both types of blood cancers that can be difficult to treat. CIRM … Continue reading CIRM funded clinical trial shows promising results for patients with blood cancers
Disease Areas
Media matters in spreading the word
Cover of New Yorker article on "The Birth Tissue Profiteers". Illustration by Ben Jones When you have a great story to tell the best and most effective way to get it out to the widest audience is still the media, both traditional mainstream and new social media. Recently we have seen three great examples of … Continue reading Media matters in spreading the word
Stem Cell Agency Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Type 1 Diabetes
Dr. Peter Stock at the capitol in Sacramento in May 2016. Photo courtesy of Steve German. Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $11.08 Million to Dr. Peter Stock at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) to conduct a clinical trial for treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Type 1 Diabetes
How a see-through fish could one day lead to substitutes for bone marrow transplants
Human blood stem cells For years researchers have struggled to create human blood stem cells in the lab. They have done it several times with animal models, but the human kind? Well, that’s proved a bit trickier. Now a CIRM-funded team at UC San Diego (UCSD) think they have cracked the code. And that would … Continue reading How a see-through fish could one day lead to substitutes for bone marrow transplants
Stories that caught our eye: FDA grants orphan drug status to CIRM-funded therapy; stunning discovery upends ideas of cell formation; and how tadpoles grow new tails
Gut busting discovery Intestinal stem cells: Photo courtesy Klaus Kaestner, Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine It’s not often you read the word “sensational” in a news release about stem cells. But this week researchers at the University of Copenhagen released findings that are overturning long-held ideas about the development of cells in our stomachs. So … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: FDA grants orphan drug status to CIRM-funded therapy; stunning discovery upends ideas of cell formation; and how tadpoles grow new tails
Testing a drug is safe before you give it to a pregnant woman
Pregnant woman holding medicine. When a doctor gives you a medication you like to think that it’s safe, that it has been tested to make sure it will do you some good or, at the very least, won’t do you any harm. That’s particularly true when the patient is a pregnant woman. You hope the … Continue reading Testing a drug is safe before you give it to a pregnant woman
Stem cell model reveals deeper understanding into “ALS resilient” neurons
A descriptive illustration of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Courtesy of ALS Foundation website. Understanding the basic biology of how a cell functions can be crucial to being able to better understand a disease and unlock a potential approach for a treatment. Stem cells are unique in that they give … Continue reading Stem cell model reveals deeper understanding into “ALS resilient” neurons
CIRM-funded study helps unlock some of the genetic secrets behind macular degeneration
Retina affected by age-related macular degeneration Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 60. It affects 10 million Americans. That’s more than cataracts and glaucoma combined. The causes of AMD are not known but are believed to involve a mixture of hereditary and environmental factors. There is no … Continue reading CIRM-funded study helps unlock some of the genetic secrets behind macular degeneration
One year later, spinal cord therapy still looks promising
Jake Javier - participant in the SCIStar study The beginning of a clinical trial, particularly the first time a new therapy is being tested in people, is often a time of equal parts anticipation and nervousness. Anticipation, because you have been working to this point for many years. Nervousness, because you have never tested this … Continue reading One year later, spinal cord therapy still looks promising
CIRM Board Approves Funding for New Clinical Trials in Solid Tumors and Pediatric Disease
Dr. Theodore Nowicki, physician in the division of pediatric hematology/oncology at UCLA. Photo courtesy of Milo Mitchell/UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center The governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded two grants totaling $11.15 million to carry out two new clinical trials. These latest additions bring the total number of CIRM funded … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves Funding for New Clinical Trials in Solid Tumors and Pediatric Disease
The Stem Cellar 