A real stem cell tourism story Back in 2001, an Israeli boy suffering from Ataxia Telangiectasia, a genetic brain disease that affects movement, traveled to Russia for an unregulated stem cell treatment. His brain and spinal cord were injected with fetal stem cells though the exact composition of those cells was not known. Four years … Continue reading Have your cake and eat it too: Stem cells without the risk of tumors
News
New Video: Spinal Cord Injury and a CIRM-Funded Stem Cell-Based Trial
Just 31 years old, Richard Lajara thought he was going to die. On September 9, 2011 he slipped on some rocks at a popular swimming hole and was swept down a waterfall headfirst into a shallow, rocky pool of water. Though he survived, the fall left him paralyzed from the waist down due to a … Continue reading New Video: Spinal Cord Injury and a CIRM-Funded Stem Cell-Based Trial
Don Reed Reflects on the California Stem Cell Initiative
Yesterday was stem cell awareness day. In honor of this important event, Don Reed held a book reading at CIRM for his newly released book, STEM CELL BATTLES: Proposition 71 and Beyond: How Ordinary People Can Fight Back Against the Crushing Burden of Chronic Disease. Don has worn many hats during his life. He’s been … Continue reading Don Reed Reflects on the California Stem Cell Initiative
Seeing is believing: using video to explain stem cell science
People are visual creatures. So it’s no surprise that many of us learn best through visual means. In fact a study by the Social Science Research Network found that 65 percent of us are visual learners. That’s why videos are such useful tools in teaching and learning, and that’s why when we came across a … Continue reading Seeing is believing: using video to explain stem cell science
Funding a clinical trial for deadly cancer is a no brainer
The beast of cancers For a disease that is supposedly quite rare, glioblastoma seems to be awfully common. I have lost two friends to the deadly brain cancer in the last few years. Talking to colleagues and friends here at CIRM, it’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t know someone who has died of it. … Continue reading Funding a clinical trial for deadly cancer is a no brainer
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: new CRISPR fix for sickle cell disease, saving saliva stem cells, jumping genes in iPSCs and lung stem cells.
An end run around sickle cell disease with CRISPR The CRISPR-based gene editing technique has got to be the hottest topic in biomedical research right now. And I sense we’re only at the tip of the iceberg with more applications of the technology popping up almost every week. Just two days ago, researchers at the Dana … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: new CRISPR fix for sickle cell disease, saving saliva stem cells, jumping genes in iPSCs and lung stem cells.
The Ogawa-Yamanaka Prize Crowns Its First Stem Cell Champion
A world of dark Imagine if you woke up one day and couldn’t see. Your life would change drastically, and you would have to painfully relearn how to function in a world that heavily relies on sight. While most people don’t lose their sight overnight, many suffer from visual impairments that slowly happen over time. … Continue reading The Ogawa-Yamanaka Prize Crowns Its First Stem Cell Champion
CIRM-funded team traces molecular basis for differences between human and chimp face
So similar yet so different Whenever I go to the zoo, I could easily spend my entire visit hanging out with our not-so-distant relatives, the chimpanzees. To say we humans are similar to them is quite an understatement. Sharing 96% of our DNA, chimps are more closely related to us than they are to gorillas. And … Continue reading CIRM-funded team traces molecular basis for differences between human and chimp face
CIRM CAP Kickoff to New Clinical Trials
Alisha Bouge is the project manager for CIRM's Clinical Advisory Panels (CAPs) On the cusp of the official kickoff to football season, CIRM has had its own kickoff to celebrate. The first Clinical Advisory Panel (CAP) meeting took place on August 18, 2015 in Irvine, CA with Caladrius Bioscience, Inc. And just as every NFL … Continue reading CIRM CAP Kickoff to New Clinical Trials
3D Printing Cells with DNA Velcro
One of the Holy Grails of stem cell research is growing body parts to replace those damaged by disease or injury. Enormous strides have been made in a key first step: mastering recipes for maturing stem cells into various specialized cell types. But a lawn of, say, liver cells in a petri dish is not … Continue reading 3D Printing Cells with DNA Velcro
The Stem Cellar 