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

Meeting designed to bring together investors and researchers seemed to hit pay dirt this year

When I helped plan the first Partnering Forum at the Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa four years ago, I must admit it felt a bit early for the stated goal of the meeting, which was to bring together academic research teams and early stage biotech companies with big pharmaceutical companies and other investors who … Continue reading Meeting designed to bring together investors and researchers seemed to hit pay dirt this year

Seventh annual Stem Cell Awareness Day, Oct. 8, will share some of the reasons behind the hope

When we organized the first Stem Cell Awareness Day in 2008 it was a small affair with events in Australia, Canada and a couple venues in California. It has quickly grown to become a sufficiently grass roots event worldwide that we can’t capture all the activities. But we feature 10 events in the US and … Continue reading Seventh annual Stem Cell Awareness Day, Oct. 8, will share some of the reasons behind the hope

See You Next Week: 2014 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa

Next week marks the fourth annual Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa (SCMOM) Partnering Forum in La Jolla, California and CIRM , one of the main organizers, hopes to see you there. SCMOM is the first and only meeting organized specifically for the regenerative medicine and cell therapy sectors. The meeting’s unique Partnering Forum brings … Continue reading See You Next Week: 2014 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa

CIRM at Business of Personalized Medicine Summit

Exciting new technologies such as regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and gene therapy are already at the forefront of a new era of medicine. And today, CIRM’s own Business Development Officer, Neil Littman, moderated a panel titled The Impact of Next Generation Personalized Medicine Technologies: How Disruptive Tech Continues to Advance the Industry, at the annual … Continue reading CIRM at Business of Personalized Medicine Summit

Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: A Zebrafish’s Stripes, Stem Cell Sound Waves and the Dangers of Stem Cell Tourism

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. How the Zebrafish Got its Stripes. Scientists in Germany have identified the different pigment cells that emerge during embryonic development and that determine the signature-striped … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: A Zebrafish’s Stripes, Stem Cell Sound Waves and the Dangers of Stem Cell Tourism

FDA gives Asterias green light to start CIRM-funded clinical trial in spinal cord injury

This morning Asterias Biotherapeutics announced that they have been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start a clinical trial using stem cells to treat spinal cord injury. It’s great news, doubly so as we are funding that trial. You can read more about the trial in a news release we just sent … Continue reading FDA gives Asterias green light to start CIRM-funded clinical trial in spinal cord injury

World’s largest pharmaceutical company signs deal with ViaCyte supporting stem cell therapy for type 1 diabetes

It’s been a good week for ViaCyte, a good week for us here at the stem cell agency and potentially a great week for people with type 1 diabetes.Earlier this week ViaCyte announced they have been given approval to start a clinical trial for their new approach to treating type 1 diabetes. Then today they announced … Continue reading World’s largest pharmaceutical company signs deal with ViaCyte supporting stem cell therapy for type 1 diabetes

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