We often talk about the important role that patient advocates play in helping advance research. That was demonstrated in a powerful way last week when the CIRM Board approved almost $12 million to fund a clinical trial targeting a rare childhood disorder called cystinosis. The award, to Stephanie Cherqui and her team at UC San … Continue reading “A new awakening”: One patient advocate’s fight for her daughters life
University of Southern California
Taking the message to the people: fighting for the future of stem cell research in California
Stem cells have been in the news a lot this week, and not necessarily for the right reason. First, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) won a big legal decision in its fight to crack down on clinics offering bogus, unproven and unapproved stem cell therapies. William Shatner: Photograph by Jerry Avenaim.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3413082 But then … Continue reading Taking the message to the people: fighting for the future of stem cell research in California
Rats, research and the road to new therapies
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 Agency Invests in New Immunotherapy Approach to HIV, Plus Promising Projects Targeting Blindness and Leukemia
While we have made great progress in developing therapies that control the AIDS virus, HIV/AIDS remains a chronic condition and HIV medicines themselves can give rise to a new set of medical issues. That’s why the Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded $3.8 million to a team from City of Hope … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Invests in New Immunotherapy Approach to HIV, Plus Promising Projects Targeting Blindness and Leukemia
Hits and Myths as people celebrate Stem Cell Awareness Day
Every year, the second Wednesday in October is set aside as Stem Cell Awareness Day, a time to celebrate the progress being made in the field and to remind us of the challenges that lie ahead. While the event began here in California in 2008, with then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger highlighting the work of CIRM, saying: … Continue reading Hits and Myths as people celebrate Stem Cell Awareness Day
Timing is a critical factor in kidney development
Through countless studies, it's clear that genes and environmental factors are important for determining cellular identity. Now, a research team at the University of Southern California (USC) have found that timing is another critical factor in determining cell fate during organ development. In findings published in Development Cell, Dr. Andy McMahon’s group shows that development … Continue reading Timing is a critical factor in kidney development
Friday Stem Cell Round: Ask the Expert Facebook Live, Old Brain Cells Reveal Insights and Synthetic Development
Stem Cell Photo of the Week: We’re Live on Facebook Live! Our stem cell photo of the week is a screenshot from yesterday’s Facebook Live event: “Ask the Expert: Stem Cells and Stroke”. It was our first foray into Facebook Live and, dare I say, it was a success with over 150 comments and 4,500 … Continue reading Friday Stem Cell Round: Ask the Expert Facebook Live, Old Brain Cells Reveal Insights and Synthetic Development
Stem Cell Roundup: Protein shows promise in treating deadliest form of breast cancer: mosquito spit primes our body for disease
Triple negative breast cancer is more aggressive and difficult to treat than other forms of the disease and, as a result, is more likely to spread throughout the body and to recur after treatment. Now a team at the University of Southern California have identified a protein that could help change that. The research, published … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Protein shows promise in treating deadliest form of breast cancer: mosquito spit primes our body for disease
The moment of truth. A video about the stem cell therapy that could help millions of people going blind.
“No matter how much one prepares, the first patient is always something very special.” That’s how Dr. Mark Humayun describes his feelings as he prepared to deliver a CIRM-funded stem cell therapy to help someone going blind from dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Humayun, an ophthalmologist and stem cell researcher at USC, spent years developing … Continue reading The moment of truth. A video about the stem cell therapy that could help millions of people going blind.
Encouraging news about CIRM-funded clinical trial targeting vision loss
Dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the U.S. By 2020 it’s estimated that as many as three million Americans will be affected by the disease. Right now, there is no effective therapy. But that could change. A new CIRM-funded clinical trial is showing promise in helping people battling … Continue reading Encouraging news about CIRM-funded clinical trial targeting vision loss
The Stem Cellar 