Computer illustration of a cancerous white blood cell in leukemia. There is nothing you can do to prevent or reduce your risk of leukemia. That’s not a very reassuring statement considering that this year alone almost 62,000 Americans will be diagnosed with leukemia; almost 23,000 will die from the disease. That’s why CIRM is funding … Continue reading Stem cell progress and promise in fighting leukemia
CIRM funded research
One family’s fight to save their son’s life, and how stem cells made it possible
CIRM's mission is very simple: to accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. Anne Klein's son, Everett, was a poster boy for that statement. Born with a fatal immune disorder Everett faced a bleak future. But Anne and husband Brian were not about to give up. The following story is one Anne … Continue reading One family’s fight to save their son’s life, and how stem cells made it possible
How stem cells know the right way to make a heart . And what goes wrong when they don’t
Gladstone scientists Deepak Srivastava (left), Yvanka De Soysa (center), and Casey Gifford (right) publish a complete catalog of the cells involved in heart development. The invention of GPS navigation systems has made finding your way around so much easier, providing simple instructions on how to get from point A to point B. Now, a new … Continue reading How stem cells know the right way to make a heart . And what goes wrong when they don’t
CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Breast Cancer Related Brain Metastases
Dr. Saul Priceman Yesterday the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $9.28 million to Dr. Saul Priceman at City of Hope to conduct a clinical trial for the treatment of breast cancer related brain metastases, which are tumors in the brain that have spread from the original site of the … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Breast Cancer Related Brain Metastases
From bench to bedside: a Q&A with stem cell expert Jan Nolta
At CIRM we are privileged to work with many remarkable people who combine brilliance, compassion and commitment to their search for new therapies to help people in need. One of those who certainly fits that description is UC Davis' Jan Nolta. This week the UC Davis Newsroom posted a great interview with Jan. Rather than … Continue reading From bench to bedside: a Q&A with stem cell expert Jan Nolta
Breaking bad news to stem cell researchers
It’s never easy to tell someone that they are too late, that they missed the deadline. It’s particularly hard when you know that the person you are telling that to has spent years working on a project and now needs money to take it to the next level. But in science, as in life, it’s … Continue reading Breaking bad news to stem cell researchers
“A new awakening”: One patient advocate’s fight for her daughters life
We often talk about the important role that patient advocates play in helping advance research. That was demonstrated in a powerful way last week when the CIRM Board approved almost $12 million to fund a clinical trial targeting a rare childhood disorder called cystinosis. The award, to Stephanie Cherqui and her team at UC San … Continue reading “A new awakening”: One patient advocate’s fight for her daughters life
Seeing is believing: A new tool to help us learn about stem cells.
Cave paintings from Libya: evidence humans communicated through visual images long before they created text There’s a large body of research that shows that many people learn better through visuals. Studies show that much of the sensory cortex in our brain is devoted to vision so our brains use images rather than text to make … Continue reading Seeing is believing: A new tool to help us learn about stem cells.
Media matters in spreading the word
Cover of New Yorker article on "The Birth Tissue Profiteers". Illustration by Ben Jones When you have a great story to tell the best and most effective way to get it out to the widest audience is still the media, both traditional mainstream and new social media. Recently we have seen three great examples of … Continue reading Media matters in spreading the word
CIRM public events highlight uncertain future of stem cell research
When governments cut funding for scientific research the consequences can be swift, and painful. In Canada last week for example, the government of Ontario cut $5 million in annual funding for stem cell research, effectively ending a project developing a therapy to heal the damaged lungs of premature babies. Here in the US the federal … Continue reading CIRM public events highlight uncertain future of stem cell research
The Stem Cellar 