Embryonic stem cells can, by definition, mature into any cell type in the body. They are able to maintain this state of so-called pluripotency with the help of a gene called Sox2. And now, researchers at the University of Toronto (U of T) have discovered the unseen force that controls it. These findings, reported in … Continue reading Key stem cell gene controlled from afar, Canadian scientists discover
News
A time to kill, a time to heal: cells linked to aging also help heal wounds
Senescent cells, so called because of the role they play in the aging process, have acquired a bit of a bad reputation. Yet new research from the Buck Institute suggests that these cells may not be so bad after all. Reporting in today's issue of Developmental Cell, Buck Institute scientists have found that, while senescent … Continue reading A time to kill, a time to heal: cells linked to aging also help heal wounds
December ICOC Board Meeting to Begin Soon
The December ICOC Board Meeting begins this morning in Berkeley, CA. The complete agenda can be found here. Dude to inclement weather our Spotlight on Disease has been canceled. For those not able to attend, you are welcome to dial in: To join the event as an attendee ------------------------------------------------------- 1. Go to https://cirm.webex.com/mw0307l/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=cirm&service=6&rnd=0.3004049356896069&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcirm.webex.com%2Fec0606l%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Dlandingfrommail%26confViewID%3D2023263422%26%26EMK%3D4832534b0000000206e16422b6688520d75b860933effb35ce2c41b56594ba5351fdb8c0a969dd92%26email%3Dacheung%2540cirm.ca.gov%26encryptTicket%3Daee20fe734ccdae68884f9fe07b3197e%26%26siteurl%3Dcirm 2. Click … Continue reading December ICOC Board Meeting to Begin Soon
Finding the Sweet Spot: shifting metabolism keeps stem cells in suspended animation
The future is bright for a stem cell: it has the potential to become almost anything. This potential is one of its two defining characteristics. The second is that it can create copies of itself over and over again. This second characteristic, known as the ability to self-renew, is of particular importance to researchers. After … Continue reading Finding the Sweet Spot: shifting metabolism keeps stem cells in suspended animation
Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Stem Cell Summit Roundup, Spinal Cords in a Dish and Stem Cell Tourism in the NFL
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. Success at the World Stem Cell Summit. This week some of the biggest names in regenerative medicine descended upon San Antonio, Texas for the annual … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Stem Cell Summit Roundup, Spinal Cords in a Dish and Stem Cell Tourism in the NFL
How partnering with someone half way around the world could help develop new treatments here in California
Much as we love California, and we really do, even we have to admit that genius knows no boundaries and that great scientific research is taking place all over the world. As our goal as an agency is to accelerate the development of successful therapies for people in need it only makes sense that we … Continue reading How partnering with someone half way around the world could help develop new treatments here in California
At World Stem Cell Summit improvements in the precision with which we can edit our genes grabs spotlight
Just a day and a half into this year’s World Stem Cell Summit in San Antonio and there have been numerous highlights. But a pair of sessions on gene editing grabbed the attention of many of the scientists at the meeting. One of the renown leaders in the field, Harvard’s George Church wowed the scientists, … Continue reading At World Stem Cell Summit improvements in the precision with which we can edit our genes grabs spotlight
Truth or Consequences: how to spot a liar and what to do once you catch them
Nothing undermines the credibility of science and scientists more than the retraction a high profile paper. Earlier this year there was a prime example of that when researchers at one of Japan’s most prestigious research institutions, the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, had to retract a study that had gathered worldwide attention. The … Continue reading Truth or Consequences: how to spot a liar and what to do once you catch them
Taking Promising Therapies out of the Lab and into People: Tips from Experts at the World Stem Cell Summit on How to Succeed
Having a great idea for a stem cell therapy is the easy part. Getting it to work in the lab is tougher. But sometimes the toughest part of all is getting it out of the lab and into clinical trials in patients. That’s natural and sensible, after all we need to make sure that something … Continue reading Taking Promising Therapies out of the Lab and into People: Tips from Experts at the World Stem Cell Summit on How to Succeed
At World Stem Cell Summit: Why results in trials repairing hearts are so uneven
Just as no two people are the same, neither are the cells in their bone marrow, the most common source of stem cells in clinical trials trying to repair damage after a heart attack. Doris Taylor of the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, which is just a couple hours drive from the site of this … Continue reading At World Stem Cell Summit: Why results in trials repairing hearts are so uneven
The Stem Cellar 