3D printed neuronal networks are an important step forward in treating spinal cord injury

Approximately 300,000 people in the United States live with spinal cord injury (SCI), and 17,000 new cases are reported every year. With no cure, the primary treatment option for people with SCI is rehabilitation with a physical therapist combined with medications to control the pain. Given the relatively permanent nature of these injuries, a new … Continue reading 3D printed neuronal networks are an important step forward in treating spinal cord injury

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: 3 blind mice no more and a tale of two tails

Stem cell image of the week: The demise of Three Blind Mice nursery rhyme (Todd Dubnicoff) Our stem cell image of the week may mark the beginning of the end of the Three Blind Mice nursery rhyme and, more importantly, usher in a new treatment strategy for people suffering from vision loss. That’s because researchers … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: 3 blind mice no more and a tale of two tails

Regenerative Medicine by the numbers: a snapshot of how the field is progressing

Statistics don’t usually make for very exciting blog fodder, but they can be useful in charting progress. Case in point, the recent quarterly report from the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), a global advocate and industry group for the field. In the report ARM takes an in-depth look at cell therapy, gene therapy, tissue engineering … Continue reading Regenerative Medicine by the numbers: a snapshot of how the field is progressing

Join us for our next installment of “Ask The Stem Cell Team” on August 28th.

What do football, jazz and acting have in common? They all happen to be the greatest accomplishments of some of the well-known celebrities who suffer from, and who have been vocal advocates for, Sickle Cell disease (SCD). While most people wouldn’t readily identify Tiki Barber, Miles Davis or Larenz Tate as carriers of the HBB … Continue reading Join us for our next installment of “Ask The Stem Cell Team” on August 28th.

Stem Cell Roundup: Knowing the nose, stem cell stress and cell fate math.

The Stem Cellar’s Image of the Week. Our favorite image this week, comes to us from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Looking like a psychedelic Rorschach test, the fluorescence microscopy depicts mouse olfactory epithelium (in green), a sheet of tissue that develops in the nose. The team identified a new … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Knowing the nose, stem cell stress and cell fate math.

What makes an expert an expert?

When we launched our Facebook Live “Ask the Expert” series earlier this year we wanted to create an opportunity for people to hear from and question experts about specific diseases or disorders. The experts we turned to were medical ones, neurologists and neuroscientists in the case of the first two Facebook Live events, stroke and … Continue reading What makes an expert an expert?

Stem Cell Roundup: Clinical Trial on the Horizon for Parkinson’s Disease, New Probe Targets Tricky Cancer Cells – Rare Brain Disease May Be Key to Alzheimer’s Insights

Stem Cell Image of the Week: This week's image shows dopamine producing brain cells. These are the cells that are depleted in people with Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson’s disease news: a new clinical trial, a new face of the disease  (Kevin McCormack) In his long and illustrious career Alan Alda has worn many hats. First as the … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Clinical Trial on the Horizon for Parkinson’s Disease, New Probe Targets Tricky Cancer Cells – Rare Brain Disease May Be Key to Alzheimer’s Insights

Promising Advances in Alzheimer’s Research Could Create More Advanced Therapy Options

New developments in Alzheimer’s research are bringing us closer to more precise therapies for this debilitating disease. Alzheimer’s disease, is characterized by the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, which interfere with the normal communication flow between brain cells, leading to debilitating symptoms like memory loss and impaired decision-making. These plaques are made out … Continue reading Promising Advances in Alzheimer’s Research Could Create More Advanced Therapy Options

CIRM-supported study shows promise in fighting acute myeloid leukemia

For years chemotherapy has been a mainstay in the war against cancer. While it can be very effective it can also come with some nasty side effects. Since chemo works by killing rapidly growing cells, it not only hits the cancer cells, but can also hit other rapidly growing cells too, including those in our … Continue reading CIRM-supported study shows promise in fighting acute myeloid leukemia

ALS is in the spotlight in CIRM’s “Ask the Expert About ALS & Stem Cells” Facebook Live event

American Football great Dwight Clark was renowned for having the safest hands in the game when he played for the San Francisco 49ers. But in September 2015 he was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) after not being able to use those hands to open a package of sugar. Less than three … Continue reading ALS is in the spotlight in CIRM’s “Ask the Expert About ALS & Stem Cells” Facebook Live event