Today Geron announced that the first patient had been treated in their groundbreaking trial based on human embryonic stem cells. At first blush: Woo hoo!! This is the first test of technology that holds hope for millions of people living with spinal cord injury and other diseases.But it’s important to remember that this first trial … Continue reading Geron trial — baby steps toward a cure

Nature Medicine carried a piece Friday by CIRM governing board member Jeff Sheehy, writing about the importance of having a patient advocate voice in biomedical research. Sheehy, who is living with HIV, is a long-time advocate for HIV/AIDS research. He has been on the CIRM board since the beginning in November 2004, and is a … Continue reading Patient advocates vital to stem cell research progress

A new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll came to the not-so-startling conclusion that most Americans support using embryos left over from in vitro fertilization for research purposes, including human embryonic stem cell research. According to the report, Humphrey Taylor, chairman of the Harris Poll that conducted to online survey said:"Even among Catholics and born-again Christians, relatively few … Continue reading New poll finds widespread support for stem cell research

Stem Cell Awareness Day is underway, which is both true and practically rhymes, making it a fitting opening for a post about poems.We held the second annual poetry contest this year in conjunction with events and seminars being held worldwide. Entries were judged by Don Reed, sponsor of the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research … Continue reading Stem cell awareness, poetry, and the blues

On Monday the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Robert Edwards for his efforts to make in vitro fertilization a reality. The Nobel Prize-winning discovery not only allowed millions of couples to start families, it opened up the field of stem cell research.According to the Nobel Prize press release: Approximately four million individuals … Continue reading Nobel-winning IVF work laid groundwork for stem cell research

Any excuse to link stem cell research and a favorite activity...In the top 10 list of our most popular entries, spinal cord injury ranked among the topics of most interest to readers. And for good reason. It's the first condition to be approved for an embryonic stem cell trial. It's also a terrible condition in … Continue reading Running, cycling and swimming for a cure

This blog is turning 100 -- posts that is. On the eve of our centenial, here's a top 10 of what's hot:1: Geron to begin stem cell trial for spinal cord injury2: UC Irvine Opens the Sue & Bill Gross Hall3: iPS cells and embryonic stem cells -- similar but not the same4: CIRM grantee … Continue reading What’s hot at 100?

A group at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute led by Derrick Rossi has taken a big step toward a holy grail in stem cell science — reprogramming skin cells to resemble embryonic stem cells without viruses (Cell Stem Cell paper). The new technique uses transient RNA to reprogram the cells into what they are calling … Continue reading Better, faster stem cell reprogramming

Yesterday's decision by a U.S. Appeals court to allow human embryonic stem cell research to move forward pending a full appeal (see Reuters story) marks a good time to look back at how this legal back and forth impacts the field.In late August, after the initial injunction halting federal funding for human embryonic stem cell … Continue reading California stem cell scientists comment on the federal funding fracas

Miracle of Hope I, Dave PutnamThe promise of a cure for HIV/AIDS has inspired activists, researchers and now artists. The image shown here, by Woodside, CA artist Dave Putnam, was donated to Stanford’s Positive Care Clinic in Atherton, CA. It’s one of three 36” by 48” images making up a new triptych depicting Putnam’s interpretation … Continue reading Artist inspired by HIV/AIDS therapies