One of the favorite events of the year for the team here at CIRM is our annual SPARK (Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge) conference. This is where high school students, who spent the summer interning at world class stem cell research facilities around California, get to show what they learned. It’s always an … Continue reading Next generation of stem cell scientists leave their mark
Videos
Join us tomorrow at noon for “Ask the Stem Cell Team about Sickle Cell Disease”, a FaceBook Live Event
As an early kick off to National Sickle Cell Awareness Month – which falls in September every year – CIRM is hosting a “Ask the Stem Cell Team” FaceBook Live event tomorrow, August 28th, from noon to 1pm (PDT). The live broadcast will feature two scientists and a patient advocate who are working hard to … Continue reading Join us tomorrow at noon for “Ask the Stem Cell Team about Sickle Cell Disease”, a FaceBook Live Event
The Five Types of Stem Cells
When I give an “Intro to Stem Cells” presentation to, say, high school students or to a local Rotary Club, I begin by explaining that there are three main types of stem cells: (1) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) (2) adult stem cells and (3) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Well, like most things in science, … Continue reading The Five Types of Stem Cells
Video: Behind the scenes of a life-saving gene therapy stem cell treatment
“We were so desperate. When we heard about this treatment were willing to do anything to come here.” In the above quote from Zahraa El Kerdi, “here” refers to UCLA, a world away from her hometown in Lebanon. In September 2015, Zahree gave birth to a son, Hussein, who appeared perfectly healthy. But by six … Continue reading Video: Behind the scenes of a life-saving gene therapy stem cell treatment
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.
Video illustrates potential path to stem cell repair for multiple sclerosis
“Can you imagine slowly losing the ability to live life as you know it? To slowly lose the ability to see, to walk, to grab an object, all the while experiencing pain, fatigue and depression?” These sobering questions are posed at the beginning of a recent video produced by Youreka Science and Americans for Cures … Continue reading Video illustrates potential path to stem cell repair for multiple sclerosis
Just a Mom: The Journey of a Sickle Cell Disease Patient Advocate [video]
Adrienne Shapiro will tell you that she’s just a mom. And it’s true. She is just a mom. Just a mom who is the fourth generation of mothers in her family to have children born with sickle cell disease. Just a mom who was an early advocate of innovative stem cell and gene therapy research … Continue reading Just a Mom: The Journey of a Sickle Cell Disease Patient Advocate
CIRM interviews Lorenz Studer: 2017 recipient of the Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize [Video]
For eight long years, researchers who were trying to develop a stem cell-based therapy for Parkinson’s disease – an incurable movement disorder marked by uncontrollable shaking, body stiffness and difficulty walking – found themselves lost in the proverbial wilderness. In initial studies, rodent stem cells were successfully coaxed to specialize into dopamine-producing nerve cells, the … Continue reading CIRM interviews Lorenz Studer: 2017 recipient of the Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize [Video]
Giving thanks to Caleb and all of our stem cell pioneers [Video]
For our last blog before the Thanksgiving holiday, we give thanks to the patients and their caregivers who are forging a path toward a new era of regenerative medicine therapies through their participation in CIRM-funded clinical trials. Some of our trials are in the early stages which means they are mainly focused on safety. Participants … Continue reading Giving thanks to Caleb and all of our stem cell pioneers [Video]
Saving Ronnie: Stem Cell & Gene Therapy for Fatal Bubble Baby Disease [Video]
During this second week of the Month of CIRM, we’ve been focusing on the people who are critical to accomplishing our mission to accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. These folks include researchers, like Clive Svendsen and his team at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center who are working tirelessly to develop a stem … Continue reading Saving Ronnie: Stem Cell & Gene Therapy for Fatal Bubble Baby Disease [Video]