Don Reed Don Reed has been a champion of CIRM even before there was a CIRM. He's a pioneer in pushing for funding for stem cell research and now he's working hard to raise awareness about the difference that funding is making. In a recent article on Daily Kos, Don highlighted one of the less … Continue reading Rats, research and the road to new therapies
Stem cell research
Facebook Live – Ask the Stem Cell Team about Patient Advocacy
How often do you get to ask an expert a question about something that matters deeply to you and get an answer right away? Not very often I'm guessing. That's why CIRM's Facebook Live "Ask the Stem Cell Team About Patient Advocacy" gives you a chance to do just that this Thursday, March 14th from … Continue reading Facebook Live – Ask the Stem Cell Team about Patient Advocacy
Stem cell byproducts provide insight into cure for spina bifida
A diagram of an infant born with spina bifida, a birth defect where there is an incomplete closing of the backbone portion of the spinal cord. Photo courtesy of the Texas Children's Hospital website. Some of you might remember a movie in the early 2000s by the name of "Miracle in Lane 2". The film … Continue reading Stem cell byproducts provide insight into cure for spina bifida
Gene therapy gives patient a cure and a new lease on life
Brenden Whittaker (left), of Ohio, is a patient born with a rare genetic immune disease who was treated at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in a CIRM funded gene therapy trial. Dr. David Williams (on right) is Brenden's treating physician.Photo courtesy of Rose Lincoln - Harvard Staff Photographer Pursuing an education can … Continue reading Gene therapy gives patient a cure and a new lease on life
Mending Stem Cells: The Past, Present and Future of Regenerative Medicine
To Mend: (verb used with object) to make (something broken, worn, torn or otherwise damaged) whole, sound or usable by repairing. It’s remarkable to believe, but today doctors literally have the tools to repair damaged cells. These tools are being used to treat people with diseases that were once incurable. The field of regenerative medicine has made tremendous … Continue reading Mending Stem Cells: The Past, Present and Future of Regenerative Medicine
Rare Disease Day – fighting for awareness and hope
It’s hard thinking of something as rare when one in 20 people are at risk of experiencing it in their lifetime. But that’s the situation with rare diseases. There are more than 7,000 of them and each affects under 200,000 people. In some cases they may only affect a few hundred people. But for each … Continue reading Rare Disease Day – fighting for awareness and hope
Antibody effective in cure for rare blood disorders
3D illustration of an antibody binding to a designated target. Illustration created by Audra Geras. A variety of diseases can be traced to a simple root cause: problems in the bone marrow. The bone marrow contains specialized stem cells known as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that give rise to different types of blood cells. As … Continue reading Antibody effective in cure for rare blood disorders
Stories that caught our eye: National Geographic takes a deep dive into iPS cells; Japanese researchers start iPS cell clinical trial for spinal cord injury; and do high fat diets increase your risk of colorectal cancer
Can cell therapy beat the most difficult diseases? That’s the question posed in a headline in National Geographic. The answer; maybe, but it is going to take time and money. The article focuses on the use of iPS cells, the man-made equivalent of embryonic stem cells that can be turned into any kind of cell … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: National Geographic takes a deep dive into iPS cells; Japanese researchers start iPS cell clinical trial for spinal cord injury; and do high fat diets increase your risk of colorectal cancer
Major league baseball star and his wife turn to IVF to conceive child free of Huntington’s Disease
Joe Smith, pitcher for the Houston Astros, and his wife, sports reporter Allie LaForce. Smith's family carries the gene for Huntington's Disease. Photo courtesy of Huntington's Disease Society for America website. For many couples, one of the most monumental moments in life is the decision made to conceive a child together and start a family. … Continue reading Major league baseball star and his wife turn to IVF to conceive child free of Huntington’s Disease
A new stem cell derived tool for studying brain diseases
Sergiu Pasca’s three-dimensional culture makes it possible to watch how three different brain-cell types – oligodendrocytes (green), neurons (magenta) and astrocytes (blue) – interact in a dish as they do in a developing human brain. Courtesy of the Pasca lab Neurological diseases are among the most daunting diagnoses for a patient to receive, because they … Continue reading A new stem cell derived tool for studying brain diseases
The Stem Cellar 