Photo credit: UCSF Hataalii Tiisyatonii Begay (HT) is paving the road for newborns with SCID. When HT was born in 2018 in a remote part of the Navajo nation, he was quickly diagnosed with a rare and -usually fatal- condition. Today, thanks to a therapy developed at UCSF and funded by CIRM, he’s a healthy … Continue reading Update on SCID patient enrolled in CIRM-funded gene therapy trial
Disease Areas
Funding development of a vaccine for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
Dr. Karin Gaensler. Photo credit: Steve Babuljak/UCSF Adult acute myelogenous leukemia—also known as acute myeloid leukemia (AML)—is a blood cancer in which the bone marrow makes a large number of abnormal blood cells. About 20,000 new cases of AML are diagnosed each year in the US with a 5-year survival rate of around 29%. In … Continue reading Funding development of a vaccine for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
CIRM funds clinical trial to make cancer therapy safer, less toxic
Blood stem cell transplantation following high dose chemotherapy is standard of care and potentially curative for aggressive forms of lymphoma. However, this treatment regimen is limited by severe toxicity and life-threatening complications due to delayed recovery of the blood system and vascular related damage of multiple organs. Today the governing Board of the California Institute … Continue reading CIRM funds clinical trial to make cancer therapy safer, less toxic
Update on spinal cord injury patient enrolled in CIRM-funded stem cell clinical trial
Jake Javier and his parents at Duke University A spinal cord injury (SCI) is devastating, changing a person’s life in an instant. Every year, around the world, between 250,000 and 500,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury. Most of these are caused by trauma to the spinal column, thereby affecting the spinal cord's ability to … Continue reading Update on spinal cord injury patient enrolled in CIRM-funded stem cell clinical trial
Lab-made retinas offer a new approach to battling vision loss
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. Now, new research using 3D organoid models of the eye has uncovered clues as to what happens in AMD, and how to stop it. In AMD, a person loses their central vision because the light sensitive cells in the macula, a … Continue reading Lab-made retinas offer a new approach to battling vision loss
High school SPARK intern presents stem cell research to academic audience
Earlier this year, CIRM welcomed many energetic and enthusiastic high school students at the 2022 SPARK Program annual conference in Oakland. The SPARK program is one of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s (CIRM) many programs dedicated to building a diverse and highly-skilled workforce to support the growing regenerative medicine economy right here in California. … Continue reading High school SPARK intern presents stem cell research to academic audience
Tratando malformaciones congénitas antes del nacimiento
El bebé, Tobi recibió un tratamiento de células madre, financiado por el CIRM, mientras aún estaba en el útero. To read this blog in English, click here. Michelle y Jeff se llenaron de felicidad cuando se enteraron de que iban a tener un bebé. Luego, un examen de ultrasonido a las 20 semanas del embarazo … Continue reading Tratando malformaciones congénitas antes del nacimiento
Making transplants easier for kids, and charting a new approach to fighting solid tumors.
Every year California performs around 100 kidney transplants in children but, on average, around 50 of these patients will have their body reject the transplant. These children then have to undergo regular dialysis while waiting for a new organ. Even the successful transplants require a lifetime of immunosuppression medications. These medications can prevent rejection but … Continue reading Making transplants easier for kids, and charting a new approach to fighting solid tumors.
Neurona Therapeutics Update: First two patients who received treatment experienced significantly less seizures
Nearly 3.5 million Americans suffer from some form of epilepsy. It can affect people in different ways from stiff muscles or staring spells, to violent shaking and loss of consciousness. The impact it has on people’s lives extends far beyond the condition itself. People who suffer from epilepsy experience a higher frequency of depression and other mood … Continue reading Neurona Therapeutics Update: First two patients who received treatment experienced significantly less seizures
Myocarditis in Cancer Patients Is Driven by Specific Immune Cells
In a new study, researchers from UC San Francisco and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified specific immune cells that cause a potentially lethal heart inflammation -called myocarditis- in a small fraction of patients treated with powerful cancer immunotherapy drugs. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. It can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, … Continue reading Myocarditis in Cancer Patients Is Driven by Specific Immune Cells
The Stem Cellar 