Today, CIRM-funded scientists from the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center reported in Nature Medicine that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) - blood stem cells that generate the cell in your blood and immune system - get a helping hand after injury from cells in the bone marrow called bone progenitor cells. By secreting a protein called dickkopf-1 … Continue reading A single protein can boost blood stem cell regeneration
CIRM funded research
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: glowing stem cells and new insights into Zika and SCID
Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Glowing stem cells help scientists understand how cells work. (Karen Ring) It’s easy to notice when something is going wrong. It’s a lot harder to … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: glowing stem cells and new insights into Zika and SCID
Key Steps Along the Way To Finding Treatments for HIV on World AIDS Day
Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day. It's a day to acknowledge the progress that is being made in HIV prevention and treatment around the world but also to renew our commitment to a future free of HIV. This year's theme is Leadership. Commitment. Impact. At CIRM we are funding a number of projects focused … Continue reading Key Steps Along the Way To Finding Treatments for HIV on World AIDS Day
Stem cells have a neat trick to prevent tissue scarring
A CIRM-funded study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has discovered that stem cells in muscle tissue “police themselves” to reduce fibrosis or the buildup of scar tissue. The ability to prevent scarring could promote anti-aging properties by keeping muscles healthy and functional and could also benefit patients with muscle wasting diseases like muscular … Continue reading Stem cells have a neat trick to prevent tissue scarring
CIRM-funded stem cell trial for retinitis pigmentosa makes progress
A CIRM-funded clinical trial for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye disease that causes blindness, recently reached its next milestone and announced the completion of its patient enrollment for a phase I/IIa study testing a stem cell derived therapy. This is a major step forward in determining whether this approach is both safe and effective … Continue reading CIRM-funded stem cell trial for retinitis pigmentosa makes progress
Don’t Sugar Coat it: A Patient’s Perspective on Type 1 Diabetes
“In the weeks leading up to my diagnosis, I remember making and drinking Kool-Aid at the rate of about a gallon per day, and getting up to pee and drink Kool-Aid several times a night. The exhaustion and constant thirst and the weight loss were pretty scary. Insulin saved my life, and it’s been saving … Continue reading Don’t Sugar Coat it: A Patient’s Perspective on Type 1 Diabetes
Seeing is Believing: New Video on the Power of Stem Cells
The world is full of skeptics. Remember when you first heard about self-driving cars? I’m sure that information was met with comments like, “When pigs fly!” or “I’ll believe it when I see it!” Well, it turns out that the best way to get people to believe something is possible, is to show them. And … Continue reading Seeing is Believing: New Video on the Power of Stem Cells
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Horse patients, Brain cancer stem cells, and a Bony Heart
Horsing around at the World Stem Cell Summit The World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS) is coming up very shortly (December 6-9) in lovely downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. And this year it has an added attraction; horses. For my money the WSCS is the most enjoyable of the many conferences held around the US focusing … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Horse patients, Brain cancer stem cells, and a Bony Heart
Stem cell agency funds clinical trials in three life-threatening conditions
A year ago the CIRM Board unanimously approved a new Strategic Plan for the stem cell agency. In the plan are some rather ambitious goals, including funding ten new clinical trials in 2016. For much of the last year that has looked very ambitious indeed. But today the Board took a big step towards reaching … Continue reading Stem cell agency funds clinical trials in three life-threatening conditions
A new and improved method for making healthy heart tissue is here
Scientists from the Gladstone Institutes have done it again. They’ve made a better and faster way of generating healthy heart tissue in mice with damaged hearts. With further advancements, their findings could potentially be translated into a new way of treating heart failure in patients. Previously, the Gladstone team discovered that they could transform scar … Continue reading A new and improved method for making healthy heart tissue is here
The Stem Cellar 