On Monday federal judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research impermissible under current laws. This decision had the immediate effect of shutting down the ability of the NIH to fund research using human embryonic stem cells, a result that NIH Director Francis Collins likened to pouring sand in the … Continue reading What the embryonic stem cell research ban means to California researchers

Human neural stem cells transplantedinto mice grew into neural tissuecells, such as oligodendrocytes.Brian Cummings / UCIA study published last week by CIRM grantees at UC Irvine gives a big ray of hope to people living with spinal cord injuries. Brian Cummings and Aileen Anderson showed that human neural stem cells could restore some mobility to … Continue reading Neural stem cells help mice with chronic spinal cord injury walk again

CIRM grantees at the Buck Institute for Age Research have treated a rat version of Parkinson’s disease using transplanted cells that originated from iPS cells -- embryonic-like cells made from reprogramming adult cells. A press release from the Novato-based Buck Institute quotes CIRM president Alan Trouson as saying:“The studies are very encouraging for potential cell … Continue reading Stem cells treat Parkinson’s disease in rats

This week researchers at the University of Minnesota published a paper showing that stem cells from the bone marrow can help kids with a blistering skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa. The disease is horrible. Lacking a protein to anchor skin in place, the children's blister at the slightest touch -- on their skin, in their … Continue reading Stem cells treat life-threatening skin condition

A disclaimer: this work was not funded by CIRM, nor does it directly have to do with stem cell research. It is, however, extremely cool, and strikes close to home. I spent hours as an undergrad slicing off the limbs of newts and marveling as the tiny fingers and toes re-emerged on newly formed limbs. … Continue reading Mouse muscles mimic newt regeneration

The past few days have sent the blogosphere -- especially the anti-embryonic stem cell blogosphere -- abuzz over a story by the Associated Press with the headline "Adult Stem Cell Research Far Ahead of Embryonic." It's true. At this time there are many adult stem cell trials and only one embryonic stem cell trial underway. … Continue reading The competition that isn’t: Adult vs. embryonic stem cells

Hans Keirstead, UC IrvineThe FDA has lifted a clinical hold that has been in place since 2008 on Menlo Park, CA-based Geron's proposed trial for spinal cord injury. The multi-center phase I trial will be the world's first trial of a therapy based on embryonic stem cells. In a press release, the company's president and … Continue reading Geron to begin stem cell trial for spinal cord injury

CIRM grantees at UCLA have captured the first moment when an embryonic stem cell – it of infinite possibilities – chooses a more limited fate. A press release from UCLA says the cell population (which the researchers dubbed human embryonic mesodermal progenitors, or hEMP cells) could be therapeutically useful. The cells still have broad ability … Continue reading Embryonic No More

Two papers in Nature publications have raised questions about whether reprogrammed adult cells, called iPS cells, are truly interchangeable with embryonic stem cells as many have been assuming. The papers found that iPS cells created from different adult tissues still bear some hallmarks of those starting blocks. In a press release, George Daley, who was … Continue reading iPS and embryonic stem cells — similar but not the same

Stanford scientists have overcome one significant hurdle in developing a therapy for muscle-wasting diseases like muscular dystrophy. Until now, the muscle stem cells that stand at the ready to repair muscle damage couldn’t be grown outside the safe confines of a muscle. Once uprooted from their home and transferred to a laboratory dish, they matured … Continue reading Muscle stem cells a step closer to treating muscular dystrophy