Almost every day I get an email or phone call from someone asking if we have a stem cell therapy for bad knees. The inquiries are from people who’ve been told they need surgery to replace joints damaged by age and arthritis. They’re not alone. Every year around 600,000 Americans get a knee replacement. That … Continue reading A shot in the arm for people with bad knees
CIRM News
Breaking the isolation of rare diseases
How can something that affects 30 million Americans, one in ten people in the US, be called rare? But that’s the case with people who have a rare disease. There are around 7,000 different diseases that are categorized as rare because they affect fewer than 200,000 people. Less than five percent of these diseases have … Continue reading Breaking the isolation of rare diseases
Friday Roundup: A better kind of blood stem cell transplant; Encouraging news from spinal cord injury trial; Finding an “elusive” cell that could help diabetics
Cool Instagram image of the week: Chemo- and radiation-free blood stem cell transplant showing promise Bubble baby disease, also known as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), is an inherited disorder that leaves newborns without an effective immune system. Currently, the only approved treatment for SCID is a blood stem cell transplant, in which the patient’s defective … Continue reading Friday Roundup: A better kind of blood stem cell transplant; Encouraging news from spinal cord injury trial; Finding an “elusive” cell that could help diabetics
Gladstone scientists tackle heart failure by repairing the heart from within
Modern medicine often involves the development of a drug or treatment outside the body, which is then given to a patient to fix, improve or even prevent their condition. But what if you could regenerate or heal the body using the cells and tissue already inside a patient? Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes are pursuing … Continue reading Gladstone scientists tackle heart failure by repairing the heart from within
Scientists repair spinal cord injuries in monkeys using human stem cells
An exciting development for spinal cord injury research was published this week in the journal Nature Medicine. Scientists from the University of San Diego School of Medicine transplanted human neural progenitor cells (NPCs) into rhesus monkeys that had spinal cord injuries. These cells, which are capable of turning into other cells in the brain, survived … Continue reading Scientists repair spinal cord injuries in monkeys using human stem cells
Stem Cell Agency invests in stem cell therapies targeting sickle cell disease and solid cancers
Today CIRM’s governing Board invested almost $10 million in stem cell research for sickle cell disease and patients with solid cancer tumors. Clinical trial for sickle cell disease City of Hope was awarded $5.74 million to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial testing a stem cell-based therapy for adult patients with severe sickle cell disease … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency invests in stem cell therapies targeting sickle cell disease and solid cancers
Stem Cell Roundup: Lab-grown meat, stem cell vaccines for cancer and a free kidney atlas for all
Here are the stem cell stories that caught our eye this week. Cool Stem Cell Photo: Kidneys in the spotlight I had to take a second look at this picture when I first saw it. I honestly thought it was someone’s scientific interpretation of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. What this picture actually represents is … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Lab-grown meat, stem cell vaccines for cancer and a free kidney atlas for all
Seeing is believing. Proof a CIRM-funded therapy is making a difference
You have almost certainly never heard of Thelma, or met her, or know anything about her. She’s a lady living in England who, if it wasn’t for a CIRM-funded therapy, might not be living at all. She’s proof that what we do, is helping people. Thelma is featured in a video about a treatment for … Continue reading Seeing is believing. Proof a CIRM-funded therapy is making a difference
California gets first royalty check from Stem Cell Agency investments
CIRM recently shared in a little piece of history. The first royalty check, based on CIRM’s investment in stem cell research, was sent to the California State Treasurer’s office from City of Hope. It’s the first of what we hope will be many such checks, helping repay, not just the investment the state made in … Continue reading California gets first royalty check from Stem Cell Agency investments
Creating a platform to help transplanted stem cells survive after a heart attack
Repairing, even reversing, the damage caused by a heart attack is the Holy Grail of stem cell researchers. For years the Grail seemed out of reach because the cells that researchers transplanted into heart attack patients didn’t stick around long enough to do much good. Now researchers at Stanford may have found a way around … Continue reading Creating a platform to help transplanted stem cells survive after a heart attack
The Stem Cellar 