Nancy M. Rene Dear CIRM, World Sickle Cell Day is this Saturday June 19th. The goal of this day is to increase knowledge of the disease and understanding of the challenges faced. It is a day that I greet with very mixed feelings. I’m of course extremely grateful to CIRM for the time and money … Continue reading An Open Letter to CIRM for World Sickle Cell Day
Stanford University
CIRM-catalyzed spinout files for IPO to develop therapies for genetic diseases
Graphite Bio, a CIRM-catalyzed spinout from Stanford University that launched just 14 months ago has now filed the official SEC paperwork for an initial public offering (IPO). The company was formed by CIRM-funded researchers Matt Porteus, M.D., Ph.D. and Maria Grazia Roncarolo, M.D. Six years ago, Dr. Porteus and Dr. Roncarolo, in conjunction with Stanford … Continue reading CIRM-catalyzed spinout files for IPO to develop therapies for genetic diseases
Paving the Way
When someone scores a goal in soccer all the attention is lavished on them. Fans chant their name, their teammates pile on top in celebration, their agent starts calling sponsors asking for more money. But there’s often someone else deserving of praise too, that’s the player who provided the assist to make the goal possible … Continue reading Paving the Way
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears – we have a podcast for you.
It seems like everyone, including my dog Freddie, has a podcast these days. So now we do too. According to the Podcasthosting.org website there are some two million podcasts in the world. Make that two million and one. That’s because CIRM is launching its own podcast and doing it with one of the biggest names … Continue reading Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears – we have a podcast for you.
Saying thanks and farewell to a friend
Tom Howing In this job you get to meet a lot of remarkable people, none more so than the patients who volunteer to take part in what are giant experiments. They are courageous pioneers, willing to be among the first people to ever try a new therapy, knowing that it may not help them and, … Continue reading Saying thanks and farewell to a friend
Charting a course for the future
A new home for stem cell research? Have you ever been at a party where someone says “hey, I’ve got a good idea” and then before you know it everyone in the room is adding to it with ideas and suggestions of their own and suddenly you find yourself with 27 pages of notes, all … Continue reading Charting a course for the future
De-stressing stem cells and the Bonnie & Clyde of stem cells
Dr. John Cashman The cells in our body are constantly signalling with each other, it's a critical process by which cells communicate not just with other cells but also with elements within themselves. One of the most important signalling pathways is called Wnt. This plays a key role in early embryonic and later development. But … Continue reading De-stressing stem cells and the Bonnie & Clyde of stem cells
Everything you wanted to know about COVID vaccines but never got a chance to ask
All this month we are using our blog and social media to highlight a new chapter in CIRM’s life, thanks to the voters approving Proposition 14. We are looking back at what we have done since we were created in 2004, and also looking forward to the future. Today we feature a rare treat, an … Continue reading Everything you wanted to know about COVID vaccines but never got a chance to ask
How a CIRM scholar helped create a life-saving COVID vaccine
Dr. Derrick Rossi might be the most famous man whose name you don’t recognize. Dr. Rossi is the co-founder of Moderna. Yes, that Moderna. The COVID-19 vaccine Moderna. The vaccine that in clinical trials proved to be around 95 percent effective against the coronavirus. Dr. Rossi also has another claim to fame. He is a … Continue reading How a CIRM scholar helped create a life-saving COVID vaccine
Progress in the fight against Sickle Cell Disease
Marissa Cors, sickle cell disease patient advocate Last November Marissa Cors, a patient advocate in the fight against Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), told the Stem Cellar “A stem cell cure will end generations of guilt, suffering, pain and early death. It will give SCD families relief from the financial, emotional and spiritual burden of caring … Continue reading Progress in the fight against Sickle Cell Disease
The Stem Cellar 