Sequencing data helps us understand the genes involved in heart cell development

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and is estimated to be responsible for 31% of all deaths globally. This disease encompasses a wide variety of conditions that all effect how well your heart is able to pump blood to the rest of your body. … Continue reading Sequencing data helps us understand the genes involved in heart cell development

Hits and Myths as people celebrate Stem Cell Awareness Day

Every year, the second Wednesday in October is set aside as Stem Cell Awareness Day, a time to celebrate the progress being made in the field and to remind us of the challenges that lie ahead. While the event began here in California in 2008, with then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger highlighting the work of CIRM, saying: … Continue reading Hits and Myths as people celebrate Stem Cell Awareness Day

New partnership to make CIRM supported treatment for type 1 diabetes even better

  ViaCyte, a regenerative medicine company long backed by CIRM, announced a partnership with CRISPR Therapeutics to increase the number of people with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) who could benefit from their PEC-Direct therapeutic implant. Last year, CIRM granted ViaCyte $20 million to facilitate development of PEC-Direct, a device that both transplants pancreatic progenitor stem … Continue reading New partnership to make CIRM supported treatment for type 1 diabetes even better

A cancer therapy developed at a CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic tests its legs against breast cancer

A Phase 1 clinical trial co-sponsored by CIRM and Oncternal Therapeutics, has started treating patients at UC San Diego (UCSD). The goal of the trial is to test the safety and anti-tumor activity of the Oncternal-developed drug, cirmtuzumab, in treating breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer to occur in women, regardless … Continue reading A cancer therapy developed at a CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic tests its legs against breast cancer

Deep dive into muscle repair yields new strategies to combat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Researchers at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) reported new findings this week that may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for people suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DMD, a muscle-wasting disease that affects 1 in 7250 males aged 5 to 24 years in the United States, is caused by a genetic mutation leading … Continue reading Deep dive into muscle repair yields new strategies to combat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Support cells have different roles in blood stem cell maintenance before and after stress

A new study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, reveals how different types of cells in the bone marrow are responsible for supporting blood stem cell maintenance before and after injury. It was already well known in the field that two different cell types, namely endothelial cells (which line blood vessels) and stromal cells … Continue reading Support cells have different roles in blood stem cell maintenance before and after stress

Saying goodbye to a good friend and a stem cell pioneer: Karl Trede

Sometimes even courage and determination are not enough. Karl Trede had courage and determination in droves as he fought a 12 year battle against cancer. He recently lost that battle. But he remains an inspiration for all who knew him. I got to know Karl for our 2016 Annual Report. Karl had been diagnosed with … Continue reading Saying goodbye to a good friend and a stem cell pioneer: Karl Trede

A stepping stone for bringing stem cell therapy to patients with ALS

Imagine being told that you have a condition that gradually causes you to lose the ability to control your body movements, from picking up a pencil to walking to even breathing. Such is the reality for the nearly 6,000 people who are diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) every year, in the United States alone. … Continue reading A stepping stone for bringing stem cell therapy to patients with ALS

Join us tomorrow at noon for “Ask the Stem Cell Team about Sickle Cell Disease”, a FaceBook Live Event

As an early kick off to National Sickle Cell Awareness Month – which falls in September every year – CIRM is hosting a “Ask the Stem Cell Team” FaceBook Live event tomorrow, August 28th, from noon to 1pm (PDT). The live broadcast will feature two scientists and a patient advocate who are working hard to … Continue reading Join us tomorrow at noon for “Ask the Stem Cell Team about Sickle Cell Disease”, a FaceBook Live Event

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: CIRM-funded scientist wins prestigious prize and a tooth trifecta

CIRM-grantee wins prestigious research award Do we know how to pick ‘em or what? For a number of years now we have been funding the work of Stanford’s Dr. Marius Wernig, who is doing groundbreaking work in helping advance stem cell research. Just how groundbreaking was emphasized this week when he was named as the … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: CIRM-funded scientist wins prestigious prize and a tooth trifecta