written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick Image Credit: The Langenhop Family Alicia Langenhop was seven months pregnant with her third child when she and her husband, Jon, learned that their two toddlers had a life-threatening immune disease called leukocyte adhesion deficiency-1 (LAD-1). The odds of being born with LAD-1 are rare, literally one-in-a-million, but the disease is genetic, so the Langenhop’s unborn child had a roughly 25 … Continue reading CIRM-funded clinical trial gives siblings a second chance at life
Features
Closer to Cures: Stanford researcher Crystal Mackall discusses progress on clinical trials for rare cancers of the brain and spine with no known cure.
Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick In 2023, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) funded a clinical trial led by Stanford researcher Crystal Mackall, MD, to investigate a possible therapy for rare brain and spinal tumors that arise from a specific genetic mutation, known as H3K27M. These cancers are devastating. Each year, about 1,000 people … Continue reading Closer to Cures: Stanford researcher Crystal Mackall discusses progress on clinical trials for rare cancers of the brain and spine with no known cure.
Closer to Cures: Cory R. Nicholas, CEO and co-founder of Neurona Therapeutics, discusses progress in clinical trials for patients with epilepsy that does not respond to drugs.
Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick Cory R. Nicholas presenting at the January 29 ICOC board meeting Roughly 3 million adults living in the United States have epilepsy, and about 400,000 of these people live in California, according to the CDC. Of these people, about one-third to half continue to have seizures that do not respond to medications on the market. It’s those patients who don’t respond to medications that Neurona Therapeutics is hoping … Continue reading Closer to Cures: Cory R. Nicholas, CEO and co-founder of Neurona Therapeutics, discusses progress in clinical trials for patients with epilepsy that does not respond to drugs.
Early-stage research could—one day—benefit many people living with genetic diseases
Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick Image Credit: Audrey Davidow－Calvin outside Wanting the best for your child is a universal experience, and Audrey Davidow wanted her baby to have a bright future full of possibility. But in March of 2012, her 13-month-old son Calvin was diagnosed with a rare disease called Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, and she … Continue reading Early-stage research could—one day—benefit many people living with genetic diseases
A life of service: A conversation with CIRM Board Chair Vito Imbasciani
Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick If you ask Vito Imbasciani to tell you about his career, you won’t get a simple answer, but you will get a great story about service, both to his country and the people of California. Imbasciani, PhD, MD, FACS, Colonel (ret.), is the chair of the board for the California … Continue reading A life of service: A conversation with CIRM Board Chair Vito Imbasciani
A conversation with CIRM board member Yael Wyte
Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick Yael Wyte knows all too well how difficult it can be to have or care for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease—she has been working with and advocating for people with Alzheimer's Disease for more than 20 years. Earlier this year, Wyte joined the board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine … Continue reading A conversation with CIRM board member Yael Wyte
“An awesome responsibility”: A conversation with CIRM board member Kim Barrett
Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick It’s not every day that you get to contribute to something that could help save a life, but when Kim Barrett joined the board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), that’s exactly what happened. Barrett is a research physiologist. For 36 years she studied the cells of the … Continue reading “An awesome responsibility”: A conversation with CIRM board member Kim Barrett
CIRM COMPASS scholar Maya Singh shares how the program helped paved the way for her career as a physician
Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick Image Credit: Maya Singh Many paths can lead to a career as a physician. For undergraduate Maya Singh, the road to becoming a doctor begins at a laboratory bench in the University of California, Berkeley. “I believe that being a part of research is a huge step toward being a … Continue reading CIRM COMPASS scholar Maya Singh shares how the program helped paved the way for her career as a physician
Gene Therapy for Heart Failure: A Conversation with Eric Adler, MD
Image Credit: The Adler Lab at the University of California, San Diego In the fall of 2024, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) helped sponsor the Gene Therapy Initiative symposium in La Jolla, CA. While there, CIRM staff caught up with a few CIRM grantees who are working on gene therapy approaches to treating … Continue reading Gene Therapy for Heart Failure: A Conversation with Eric Adler, MD
A CIRM Bridges student discovers a passion for engineering
CIRM Bridges student Esme Ruiz-Garcia Esmerelda “Esme” Ruiz-Garcia grew up in California in a Mexican-American family, where pursuing a career in healthcare is considered a family calling, with most of her relatives in the nursing and medical fields. “I’ve always loved science, but I was not that interested in the medical field itself,” said Esme. … Continue reading A CIRM Bridges student discovers a passion for engineering
The Stem Cellar 