Saying “let’s put some shrimp on the barbie” will whet an Australian’s appetite for barbequed prawns but for an American it conjures up an odd image of placing shrimp on a Barbie doll. This sort of word play confusion doesn’t just happen across continents but also between scientists and the public. Take “disease in a … Continue reading Disease in a Dish – That’s a Mouthful: Using Human Stem Cells to Find ALS Treatments
CIRM News
First of its kind stem cell production facility sets its sights on deadly childhood disease
We are used to hearing about immune suppression when transplanting organs or cells from one person to another. It’s a necessary step in preventing the body from attacking the transplanted material. Now Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) has just unveiled its newest tool to treat rare childhood diseases. Instead of focusing on immune suppression … Continue reading First of its kind stem cell production facility sets its sights on deadly childhood disease
A Cool New Way of Raising Funds and Awareness
Raising money to help fight a disease is tough. Trying to raise awareness about the disease can be just as tough. Doing both together is positively masochistic; an experience that is often as rewarding as dumping a bucket of ice cold water over your head. And that’s precisely what a growing number of people around … Continue reading A Cool New Way of Raising Funds and Awareness
CIRM Creativity Student Cindy Nguyen Goes “Beyond the Classroom”
This summer we’re sponsoring high school interns in stem cell labs throughout California as part of our annual Creativity Program. We asked those students to share their experiences through blog posts and videos. Today in our final installment, we hear from Cindy Nguyen, who has been busy at Stanford University’s Beckman Center for Molecular and … Continue reading CIRM Creativity Student Cindy Nguyen Goes “Beyond the Classroom”
A life long battle with Parkinson’s disease earns Dr. David Higgins a place on our Board
As a child David Higgins imagined that the reason his grandmother wouldn’t talk to him was because of something he did, some fault of his. In time he came to realize that the reason was because his grandmother had Parkinson’s disease and she had trouble communicating with, not just him, but with everyone. It was … Continue reading A life long battle with Parkinson’s disease earns Dr. David Higgins a place on our Board
Breast Cancer Commandeers Mammary Stem Cells for Own, Nefarious Purposes
Most instances of breast cancer happen later in life—often after menopause. In many cases, the cancer progresses slowly, over a period of months or even years, often giving physicians precious time to implement a treatment plan, successfully battling that cancer into remission. But there is another far more aggressive form of breast cancer that tends … Continue reading Breast Cancer Commandeers Mammary Stem Cells for Own, Nefarious Purposes
Putting the promise to the test: a new move to see if stem cell therapies can help injured athletes
One of the toughest questions we get asked, and we get asked this a lot, is a variation on the theme of “I have xxxx disease and want to know where I can get a stem cell therapy for it?” All too often, in fact pretty much all the time, we have to explain that … Continue reading Putting the promise to the test: a new move to see if stem cell therapies can help injured athletes
Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: “Let it Grow” Goes Viral, Stroke Pilot Study, The Bowels of Human Stem Cells, Tumor ‘Safety Lock.’
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. “Let it Grow” Goes Viral (and National!): Last week on The Stem Cellar we shared one of our favorite student videos from our annual Creativity … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: “Let it Grow” Goes Viral, Stroke Pilot Study, The Bowels of Human Stem Cells, Tumor ‘Safety Lock.’
Grafted Stem Cells Snake through Spinal Cord, CIRM-Funded Study Finds
New research lends increasing support to the notion that paralysis may not be so permanent after all. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have generated stem cells that, when grafted onto the injured spines of rats—traverse through the injury sites, coupling with nerve cells hidden beneath the damaged tissue. These results, published today … Continue reading Grafted Stem Cells Snake through Spinal Cord, CIRM-Funded Study Finds
CIRM Creativity Student Hanan Sinada’s ‘Extraordinary’ Journey as a Budding Scientist
This summer we’re sponsoring high school interns in stem cell labs throughout California as part of our annual Creativity Program. We asked those students to share their experiences through blog posts and videos. Today, we hear from Hanan Sinada, who has been busy at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. Extraordinary. That is the word … Continue reading CIRM Creativity Student Hanan Sinada’s ‘Extraordinary’ Journey as a Budding Scientist
The Stem Cellar 