Brave new world or dark threatening future: a clear-eyed look at genome editing and what it means for humanity

   Is this the face of the future? “Have you ever wished that there were something different about yourself? Maybe you imagined yourself taller, thinner or stronger? Smarter? More attractive? Healthier?” That’s the question posed by UC Davis stem cell researcher (and CIRM grantee) Paul Knoepfler at the start of his intriguing new book ‘GMO … Continue reading Brave new world or dark threatening future: a clear-eyed look at genome editing and what it means for humanity

Rare disease underdogs come out on top at CIRM Board meeting

  It seems like an oxymoron but one in ten Americans has a rare disease. With more than 7,000 known rare diseases it’s easy to see how each one could affect thousands of individuals and still be considered a rare or orphan condition. Only 5% of rare diseases have FDA approved therapies People with rare … Continue reading Rare disease underdogs come out on top at CIRM Board meeting

New stem cell approach targeting deadly blood cancers

Every four minutes someone in the US is diagnosed with a blood cancer. It might be lymphoma or leukemia, myeloma or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). While we have made great strides in treating some of these over the years, we still have a long way to go. Need proof? Well, every nine minutes someone in the US … Continue reading New stem cell approach targeting deadly blood cancers

CIRM Scholar Jessica Gluck on using stem cells to make biological pacemakers for the heart

As part of our CIRM scholar series, we feature the research accomplishments of students and postdocs that have received CIRM funding. I’d like to introduce you to one of our CIRM Scholars, Jessica Gluck. She’s currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis working on human stem cell models of heart development. Jessica began her education … Continue reading CIRM Scholar Jessica Gluck on using stem cells to make biological pacemakers for the heart

HIV/AIDS: Progress and Promise of Stem Cell Research

Our friends at Americans for Cures and Youreka Science have done it again. They’ve produced another whiteboard video about the progress and promise of stem cell research that’s so inspiring that it would probably make Darth Vader consider coming back to the light side. This time they tackled HIV. If you haven’t watched one of … Continue reading HIV/AIDS: Progress and Promise of Stem Cell Research

Cell mate: the man who makes stem cells for clinical trials

When we announced that one of the researchers we fund - Dr. Henry Klassen at the University of California, Irvine - has begun his clinical trial to treat the vision-destroying disease retinitis pigmentosa, we celebrated the excitement felt by the researchers and the hope from people with the disease. But we missed out one group. … Continue reading Cell mate: the man who makes stem cells for clinical trials