In 2004, when 59 percent of California voters approved the creation of CIRM, our state embarked on an unprecedented experiment: providing concentrated funding to a new, promising area of research. The goal: accelerate the process of getting therapies to patients, especially those with unmet medical needs. Having 10 potential treatments expected to be approved for … Continue reading 10 Years/10 Therapies: 10 Years after its Founding CIRM will have 10 Therapies Approved for Clinical Trials
Research News
UCLA team cures infants of often-fatal “bubble baby” disease by inserting gene in their stem cells; sickle cell disease is next target
Poopy diapers, ear-splitting cries, and sleepless nights: sure, the first few weeks of parenthood are grueling but those other moments of cuddling and kissing your little baby are pure bliss. That wasn’t the case for Alysia and Christian Padilla-Vacarro of Corona, California. Close contact with their infant daughter Evangelina, born in 2012, was off limits. … Continue reading UCLA team cures infants of often-fatal “bubble baby” disease by inserting gene in their stem cells; sickle cell disease is next target
Creating a Genetic Model for Autism, with a Little Help from the Tooth Fairy
One of the most complex aspects of autism is that it is not one disease—but many. Known more accurately as the autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, experts have long been trying to tease apart the various ways in which the condition manifests in children, with limited success. But now, using the latest stem cell technology, … Continue reading Creating a Genetic Model for Autism, with a Little Help from the Tooth Fairy
CIRM Scientists Discover Key to Blood Cells’ Building Blocks
Our bodies generate new blood cells—both red and white blood cells—each and every day. But reproducing that feat in a petri dish has proven far more difficult. But now, scientists have identified the missing ingredient to producing hematopoietic stem cells, or HSC’s—the type of stem cell that gives rise to all blood and immune cells … Continue reading CIRM Scientists Discover Key to Blood Cells’ Building Blocks
Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Skin Cells to Brain Cells in One Fell Swoop, #WeAreResearch Goes Viral, and Genes Helps Stem Cells Fight Disease
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. Building a Better Brain Cell. Thanks to advances in stem cell biology, scientists have found ways to turn adult cells, such as skin cells, back … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Skin Cells to Brain Cells in One Fell Swoop, #WeAreResearch Goes Viral, and Genes Helps Stem Cells Fight Disease
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
From Stem Cells to Stomachs: Scientists Generate 3D, Functioning Human Stomach Tissue
The human stomach can be a delicate organ. For example, even the healthiest stomach can be compromised by H. pylori bacteria—a tiny but ruthless pathogen which has shown to be linked to both peptic ulcer disease and stomach cancer. The best way to study how an H. pylori infection leads to conditions like cancer would … Continue reading From Stem Cells to Stomachs: Scientists Generate 3D, Functioning Human Stomach Tissue
Scientists Develop Stem Cell ‘Special Forces’ in order to Target, Destroy Brain Tumors
Curing someone of cancer is, in theory, a piece of cake: all you have to do is kill the cancer cells while leaving the healthy cells intact. But in practice, this solution is far more difficult. In fact, it remains one of the great unsolved problems in modern oncology: how do you find, target and … Continue reading Scientists Develop Stem Cell ‘Special Forces’ in order to Target, Destroy Brain Tumors
Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Perspective on “Walking” Patient, Blood Stem Cells have a Helper and Three Clinical Trials at One Campus
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. Some perspective on nasal stem cells and ”walking” patient. PZ Meyers writing on ScienceBlogs did a good job of putting some perspective into the hype … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Perspective on “Walking” Patient, Blood Stem Cells have a Helper and Three Clinical Trials at One Campus
CIRM-Funded Scientists Make New Progress Toward Engineering a Human Esophagus
Creating tissues and organs from stem cells—often referred to as ‘tissue engineering’—is hard. But new research has discovered that the process may in fact be a little easier than we once thought, at least in some situations. Last week, scientists at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles announced that the esophagus—the tube … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Scientists Make New Progress Toward Engineering a Human Esophagus
The Stem Cellar 