New Cellular Tracking Device Tests Ability of Cell-Based Therapies to Reach Intended Destination

Therapies aimed at replacing damaged cells with a fresh, healthy batch hold immense promise—but there remains one major sticking point: once you have injected new, healthy cells into the patient, how do you track them and how do you ensure they do the job for which they were designed? Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution. The … Continue reading New Cellular Tracking Device Tests Ability of Cell-Based Therapies to Reach Intended Destination

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger: Scientists Work to Create Improved Immune System One Cell at a Time

The human immune system is the body’s best defense against invaders. But even our hardy immune systems can sometimes be outpaced by particularly dangerous bacteria, viruses or other pathogens, or even by cancer. But what if we could give our immune system a boost when it needs it most? Last week scientists at the Salk … Continue reading Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger: Scientists Work to Create Improved Immune System One Cell at a Time

Stories of Hope: Stroke

Six months after surviving a stroke, Sonia Olea wanted to die. Her right leg was weak, her right arm useless. She had trouble speaking and even small tasks were challenging. Just making a phone call was virtually impossible. One morning, she woke up with her arm pinned in an awkward, painful position. After finally repositioning … Continue reading Stories of Hope: Stroke

Stories of Hope: Spinal Cord Injury

This week on The Stem Cellar we feature some of our most inspiring patients and patient advocates as they share, in their own words, their Stories of Hope. Katie Sharify had six days to decide: would she let her broken body become experimental territory for a revolutionary new approach—even if it was unlikely to do … Continue reading Stories of Hope: Spinal Cord Injury

CIRM 2.0: How to Build a Better Stem Cell Agency and Speed up Treatments to Patients

Change is never easy. We all get used to doing things in a certain way and it can sometimes be difficult to realize that the way we have chosen, while it may have worked well at one time is perhaps not the best way to achieve our goals at this time. Well, change is coming … Continue reading CIRM 2.0: How to Build a Better Stem Cell Agency and Speed up Treatments to Patients

Stories of Hope: Leukemia

This week on The Stem Cellar we feature some of our most inspiring patients and patient advocates as they share, in their own words, their Stories of Hope. Stem cells create life. But if things go wrong, they can also threaten it. Theresa Blanda found that out the hard way. Fortunately for her, CIRM-funded research … Continue reading Stories of Hope: Leukemia

September ICOC Boarding Meeting Begins Soon

The September ICOC Boarding Meeting begins this morning in Berkeley, CA. The complete agenda can be found here, including a special Spotlight on Disease focusing on Inflammatory Bowel Disease. For those not able to attend, feel free to dial in: Dial in Infomation: United States: (800) 230-1093 Access Code: 334835 WEB MEETING ACCESS INFORMATION: ------------------------------- … Continue reading September ICOC Boarding Meeting Begins Soon

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

Stories of Hope: Diabetes

This week on The Stem Cellar we feature some of our most inspiring patients and patient advocates as they share, in their own words, their Stories of Hope. The last thing Maria Torres expected was to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. She exercised, ate well and kept her weight under control. There had to … Continue reading Stories of Hope: Diabetes

CIRM-Funded Scientists Test Recipe for Building New Muscles

When muscles get damaged due to disease or injury, the body activates its reserves—muscle stem cells that head to the injury site and mature into fully functioning muscle cells. But when the reserves are all used up, things get tricky. This is especially the case for people living with muscle diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Scientists Test Recipe for Building New Muscles