In 2004, when 59 percent of California voters approved the creation of CIRM, our state embarked on an unprecedented experiment: providing concentrated funding to a new, promising area of research. The goal: accelerate the process of getting therapies to patients, especially those with unmet medical needs. Having 10 potential treatments expected to be approved for … Continue reading 10 Years/10 Therapies: 10 Years after its Founding CIRM will have 10 Therapies Approved for Clinical Trials
CIRM News
UCLA team cures infants of often-fatal “bubble baby” disease by inserting gene in their stem cells; sickle cell disease is next target
Poopy diapers, ear-splitting cries, and sleepless nights: sure, the first few weeks of parenthood are grueling but those other moments of cuddling and kissing your little baby are pure bliss. That wasn’t the case for Alysia and Christian Padilla-Vacarro of Corona, California. Close contact with their infant daughter Evangelina, born in 2012, was off limits. … Continue reading UCLA team cures infants of often-fatal “bubble baby” disease by inserting gene in their stem cells; sickle cell disease is next target
Entrepreneurship and Education
Guest author Neil Littman is CIRM's Business Development Officer. CIRM works closely with UCSF on a number of initiatives, from providing funding to academic investigators to jointly hosting events such as the recent CIRM Showcase with J-Labs held at the Mission Bay campus. Beyond our joint initiatives, UCSF also provides many other valuable resources and … Continue reading Entrepreneurship and Education
More Than Meets the Eye: Protein that Keeps Cancer in Check also Plays Direct Role in Stem Cell Biology, a Stanford Study Finds.
Here’s a startling fact: the retinoblastoma protein —Rb, for short — is defective or missing in nearly all cancers. Rb is called a tumor suppressor because it prevents excessive cell growth by acting as a crucial traffic stop for the cell cycle, a process that controls the timing for a cell to divide and multiply. … Continue reading More Than Meets the Eye: Protein that Keeps Cancer in Check also Plays Direct Role in Stem Cell Biology, a Stanford Study Finds.
Creating a Genetic Model for Autism, with a Little Help from the Tooth Fairy
One of the most complex aspects of autism is that it is not one disease—but many. Known more accurately as the autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, experts have long been trying to tease apart the various ways in which the condition manifests in children, with limited success. But now, using the latest stem cell technology, … Continue reading Creating a Genetic Model for Autism, with a Little Help from the Tooth Fairy
CIRM Scientists Discover Key to Blood Cells’ Building Blocks
Our bodies generate new blood cells—both red and white blood cells—each and every day. But reproducing that feat in a petri dish has proven far more difficult. But now, scientists have identified the missing ingredient to producing hematopoietic stem cells, or HSC’s—the type of stem cell that gives rise to all blood and immune cells … Continue reading CIRM Scientists Discover Key to Blood Cells’ Building Blocks
Ideas and Energy Reveal Surprises at Stem Cell Showcase
Janssen, the company within the pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson responsible for much of its research and development, has a branch in the Bay Area called J Labs. It seeks to foster innovation in all sectors of biomedical research. One piece of that effort brings together innovators for monthly gatherings to exchange ideas and network. … Continue reading Ideas and Energy Reveal Surprises at Stem Cell Showcase
What everybody needs to know about CIRM: where has the money gone
It’s been almost ten years since the voters of California created the Stem Cell Agency when they overwhelmingly approved Proposition 71, providing us $3 billion to help fund stem cell research. In the last ten years we have made great progress – we will have ten projects that we are funding in or approved to … Continue reading What everybody needs to know about CIRM: where has the money gone
Moving one step closer to a therapy for type 1 diabetes
When I was a medical journalist one word I always shied away from was “breakthrough”. There are few true breakthroughs in medicine. Usually any advance is the result of years and years of work. That’s why good science takes time; it takes hundreds of small steps to make a giant leap forward. Today we took … Continue reading Moving one step closer to a therapy for type 1 diabetes
Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Perspective on “Walking” Patient, Blood Stem Cells have a Helper and Three Clinical Trials at One Campus
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. Some perspective on nasal stem cells and ”walking” patient. PZ Meyers writing on ScienceBlogs did a good job of putting some perspective into the hype … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Perspective on “Walking” Patient, Blood Stem Cells have a Helper and Three Clinical Trials at One Campus
The Stem Cellar 