Welcome to the Stem Cellar

Today, as we here at CIRM move forward under the leadership of a new President, and as CIRM-funded scientists work on transforming their discoveries into therapies, we thought it was the right time for some much-needed improvements to our blog. We originally launched the blog as a way to share the latest and greatest news, … Continue reading Welcome to the Stem Cellar

What was Old is New Again: Scientists Transplant Brain Cells into Aged Mice and Reverse Memory Loss

Alzheimer’s disease starts with small, almost imperceptible steps. And then it builds. Sometimes slowly over a period of decades, other times more quickly—in just a matter of years. But no matter the speed of progression, the end outcome is always the same. The sixth leading cause of death in the United State, Alzheimer’s develops as … Continue reading What was Old is New Again: Scientists Transplant Brain Cells into Aged Mice and Reverse Memory Loss

Stem Cells become Tool to Screen for Drugs; Fight Dangerous Heart Infections.

A Stanford study adds a powerful example to our growing list of diseases that have yielded their secrets to iPS-type stem cells grown in a dish. These “disease-in-a-dish” models have become one of the most rapidly growing areas of stem cell science. But this time they did not start with skin from a patient with … Continue reading Stem Cells become Tool to Screen for Drugs; Fight Dangerous Heart Infections.

Stem Cell Agency Funded Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes Takes a Big Step towards Clinical Trials

Even the best ideas can fail without a lot of support. One of the things we pride ourselves on at the Stem Cell Agency is nurturing really promising ideas for new therapies through sustained funding, giving them the support they need to turn that promise into reality. So it’s very gratifying today to hear that … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Funded Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes Takes a Big Step towards Clinical Trials

Finding your Inner Rhythm: Cedars-Sinai Cardiologists Create Biological “Pacemakers” in the Heart

If your heart has trouble keeping a steady rhythm, you normally get a pacemaker: a small device that is inserted into your body and attached to your heart. About 300,000 people receive a pacemaker each year. But what if we could harness the body’s own cells to do what an external device does today? In … Continue reading Finding your Inner Rhythm: Cedars-Sinai Cardiologists Create Biological “Pacemakers” in the Heart

Unique Cellular Signal Directs Cells to Gobble Up Toxic Waste; Could Serve as New Weapon to Fight Disease

White blood cells have a lot of work to do. They are our body’s main defense against foreign invaders—and are quite adept at it. Tasked with cleanup duty, they target and destroy cells that have been infected with bacteria, viruses or other harmful, disease-causing pathogens. But as good as they are at their job—they aren’t … Continue reading Unique Cellular Signal Directs Cells to Gobble Up Toxic Waste; Could Serve as New Weapon to Fight Disease

Clever Stem Cells Withstand Chemo Drug’s Harmful Side Effects

For some conditions, it seem that the treatment can cause almost as many problems as than the disease itself. That’s often the case with some forms of cancer, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The most common type of cancer to affect children, treatment usually involves chemotherapy with the drug methotrexate (MTX). And, while effective at … Continue reading Clever Stem Cells Withstand Chemo Drug’s Harmful Side Effects

Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Gene Rx, New and Rejuvenated Blood Stem Cells and Budget Cuts

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. Tinkering with stem cell genes safe. Research at the Salk Institute provides some reassurance that using gene-editing techniques to correct disease-causing mutations in stem cells … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Gene Rx, New and Rejuvenated Blood Stem Cells and Budget Cuts

Argentina Soccer Star Pins his World Cup Final Hopes on Stem Cells

I suppose we should have expected it. Every time there is a big sporting event stem cells seem to come into the conversation. So it’s not surprising that the World Cup in Brazil, the biggest sporting event on the planet, was bound to somehow, in some way, involve stem cells. And it has. Argentina’s speedy … Continue reading Argentina Soccer Star Pins his World Cup Final Hopes on Stem Cells

Argentina Soccer Star Pins his World Cup Final Hopes on Stem Cells

I suppose we should have expected it. Every time there is a big sporting event stem cells seem to come into the conversation. So it’s not surprising that the World Cup in Brazil, the biggest sporting event on the planet, was bound to somehow, in some way, involve stem cells. And it has. Argentina’s speedy … Continue reading Argentina Soccer Star Pins his World Cup Final Hopes on Stem Cells