Stem Cell Image of the Week: Obesity-in-a-dish reveals mutations and abnormal function in nerve cells Our stem cell image of the week looks like the work of a pre-historic cave dweller who got their hands on some DayGlo paint. But, in fact, it’s a fluorescence microscopy image of stem cell-derived brain cells from the lab … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: The brain & obesity; iPSCs & sex chromosomes; modeling mental illness
Gene editing
Stem Cell Roundup: New understanding of Huntington’s; how stem cells can double your DNA; and using “the Gary Oldman of cell types” to reverse aging
This week's roundup highlights how we are constantly finding out new and exciting ways that stem cells could help change the way we treat disease. Our Cool Stem Cell Image of the Week comes from our first story, about unlocking some of the secrets of Huntington's disease. It comes from the Laboratory of Stem Cell … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: New understanding of Huntington’s; how stem cells can double your DNA; and using “the Gary Oldman of cell types” to reverse aging
Using the AIDS virus to help children battling a deadly immune disorder
More than 35 million people around the world have been killed by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. So, it’s hard to think that the same approach the virus uses to infect cells could also be used to help children battling a deadly immune system disorder. But that’s precisely what researchers at UC San Francisco … Continue reading Using the AIDS virus to help children battling a deadly immune disorder
Progress to a Cure for Bubble Baby Disease
Welcome back to our “Throwback Thursday” series on the Stem Cellar. Over the years, we’ve accumulated an arsenal of exciting stem cell stories about advances towards stem cell-based cures for serious diseases. Today we’re featuring stories about the progress of CIRM-funded clinical trials for the treatment of a devastating, usually fatal, primary immune disease that … Continue reading Progress to a Cure for Bubble Baby Disease
How a tiny patch of skin helped researchers save the life of a young boy battling a deadly disease
By any standards epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a nasty disease. It’s a genetic condition that causes the skin to blister, break and tear off. At best, it’s painful and disfiguring. At worst, it can be fatal. Now researchers in Italy have come up with an approach that could offer hope for people battling the … Continue reading How a tiny patch of skin helped researchers save the life of a young boy battling a deadly disease
CIRM Board invests in three new stem cell clinical trials targeting arthritis, cancer and deadly infections
Every day at CIRM we get calls from people looking for a stem cell therapy to help them fight a life-threatening or life-altering disease or condition. One of the most common calls is about osteoarthritis, a painful condition where the cartilage that helps cushion our joints is worn away, leaving bone to rub on bone. … Continue reading CIRM Board invests in three new stem cell clinical trials targeting arthritis, cancer and deadly infections
Turning the corner with the FDA and NIH; CIRM creates new collaborations to advance stem cell research
This blog is part of the Month of CIRM series on the Stem Cellar A lot can change in a couple of years. Just take our relationship with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When we were putting together our Strategic Plan in 2015 we did a survey of key players and stakeholders at … Continue reading Turning the corner with the FDA and NIH; CIRM creates new collaborations to advance stem cell research
Stem Cell Stories that Caught Our Eye: New law to protect consumers; using skin to monitor blood sugar; and a win for the good guys
New law targets stem cell clinics that offer therapies not approved by the FDA For some time now CIRM and others around California have been warning consumers about the risks involved in going to clinics that offer stem cell therapies that have not been tested in a clinical trial or approved by the U.S. Food … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught Our Eye: New law to protect consumers; using skin to monitor blood sugar; and a win for the good guys
UCLA launches CIRM-funded clinical trial using engineered blood stem cells to fight hard-to-treat cancers
It’s not uncommon for biomedical institutes as well as their funding partners to announce through press releases that a clinical trial they’re running has gotten off the ground and has started to enroll patients. For an outsider looking in, it may seem like they’re jumping the gun a bit. No patients have received the therapy. … Continue reading UCLA launches CIRM-funded clinical trial using engineered blood stem cells to fight hard-to-treat cancers
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: skin grafts fight diabetes, reprogramming the immune system, and Asterias expands spinal cord injury trial sites
Here are the stem cell stories that caught our eye this week. Skin grafts fight diabetes and obesity. An interesting new gene therapy strategy for fighting type 1 diabetes and obesity surfaced this week. Scientists from the University of Chicago made genetically engineered skin grafts that secrete a peptide hormone called glucagon-liked peptide-1 (GLP-1). This … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: skin grafts fight diabetes, reprogramming the immune system, and Asterias expands spinal cord injury trial sites