At first glance, Lauren Miller Rogen and David Higgins, PhD, seem an unlikely pair. She’s an actor, writer, and director and has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. He has a doctorate in molecular biology and genetics and has worked at some of the most well-known companies in biotech. But together they … Continue reading Hollywood and Patient Advocacy – two people who are on our Board but never boring
Stem cell research
We’ve got cash, here’s how you can get some
When the voters of California approved Proposition 14 last November (thanks folks) they gave us $5.5 billion to continue the work we started way back in 2014. It’s a great honor, and a great responsibility. It’s also a great opportunity to look at what we do and how we do it and try to come … Continue reading We’ve got cash, here’s how you can get some
Heads or tails? Stem cells help guide the decision
Two cell embryo There are many unknown elements for what triggers the cells in an embryo to start dividing and multiplying and becoming every single cell in the body. Now researchers at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco have uncovered one of those elements, how embryos determine which cells become the head and which the … Continue reading Heads or tails? Stem cells help guide the decision
CIRM funded trial for AMD shows promising results
This upcoming July is healthy vision month, a time to remember the importance of making vision and eye health a priority. It's also a time to think about the approximately 12 million people, 40 and over in the United States, that have a vision impairment. Vision can be something that many of us take for … Continue reading CIRM funded trial for AMD shows promising results
Welcoming back old friends and some new ones
When Proposition 14 was approved by voters in November we were given a chance to carry on the work we have been doing for more than 16 years. What we hadn't anticipated was that we would also get a chance to do that with some of the team that helped us make CIRM what it … Continue reading Welcoming back old friends and some new ones
Physicians and patient advocates on the front lines of the fight for a more equitable health system
Over the last year there has been increasing awareness of the inequalities in the American healthcare system. At every level there is evidence of bias, discrimination and unequal access to the best care. Sometimes unequal access to any care. That is, hopefully, changing but only if the new awareness is matched with action. At the … Continue reading Physicians and patient advocates on the front lines of the fight for a more equitable health system
An Open Letter to CIRM for World Sickle Cell Day
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
Sometimes a cold stare is a good thing
A retina of a patient with macular degeneration. (Photo credit: Paul Parker/SPL) Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the elderly in the U.S. It’s estimated that some 11 million Americans could have some form of the disease, a number that is growing every year. So if you … Continue reading Sometimes a cold stare is a good thing
Study shows that COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in people with cancer
As we have seen in the US and all around the world, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can cause severe complications and even death in many patients. In the early days of the pandemic, CIRM authorized $5 million in emergency funding for projects targeting the virus. To date CIRM has funded 20 projects related … Continue reading Study shows that COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in people with cancer
Call for a worldwide approach to regulating predatory stem cell clinics
You can’t fix a global problem at the local level. That’s the gist of a new perspective piece in the journal Stem Cell Reports that calls for a global approach to rogue stem cell clinics that offer bogus therapies. The authors of the article are calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to set up … Continue reading Call for a worldwide approach to regulating predatory stem cell clinics
The Stem Cellar 