Stem Cell RoundUp: CIRM Clinical Trial Updates & Mapping Human Brain

It was a very CIRMy news week on both the clinical trial and discovery research fronts. Here are some the highlights: Stanford cancer-fighting spinout to Genentech: 'Don't eat me' – San Francisco Business Times Ron Leuty, of the San Francisco Business Times, reported this week on not one, but two news releases from CIRM grantee … Continue reading Stem Cell RoundUp: CIRM Clinical Trial Updates & Mapping Human Brain

Stem Cell Roundup: Gene therapy for diabetes, alcohol is bad for your stem cells and hairy skin

The start of a new year is the perfect opportunity to turn a new leaf. I myself have embraced 2018 with open arms and decided to join my fellow millennials who live and die by the acronym YOLO. How am I doing this? Well, so far, I got a new haircut, I started doing squats … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Gene therapy for diabetes, alcohol is bad for your stem cells and hairy skin

Stem Cell Stories that Caught Our Eye: GPS for Skin & Different Therapies for Aging vs. Injured Muscles?

Skin stem cells specialize into new skin by sensing neighborhood crowding When embarking on a road trip, the GPS technology inside our smartphones helps us know where we are and how to get where we’re going. The stem cells buried in the deepest layers of our skin don’t have a GPS and yet, they do … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught Our Eye: GPS for Skin & Different Therapies for Aging vs. Injured Muscles?

Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Mini-Brains in the Spotlight

Here are the stem cell stories that caught our eye this week. Two research photos really caught my eye this week and they happened to be of the same thing – mini-brains. Also referred to as brain organoids, mini-brains are tiny balls of nervous tissue grown from stem cells in the lab. They allow scientists … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Mini-Brains in the Spotlight

Stem Cell Stories That Caught our Eye: Stem Cell Therapies for Stroke and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients

With the Thanksgiving holiday behind us, we’re back to the grind at CIRM. Here are two exciting CIRM-funded stem cell stories that happened while you were away. Stanford Scientists Are Treating Stroke Patients with Stem Cells Smithsonian Magazine featured the work of a CIRM-funded scientist in their December Magazine issue. The article, “A Neurosurgeon’s Remarkable … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories That Caught our Eye: Stem Cell Therapies for Stroke and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients

Stories that caught our eye: How dying cells could help save lives; could modified blood stem cells reverse diabetes?; and FDA has good news for patients, bad news for rogue clinics

Growing up I loved watching old cowboy movies. Invariably the hero, even though mortally wounded, would manage to save the day and rescue the heroine and/or the town. Now it seems some stem cells perform the same function, dying in order to save the lives of others. Researchers at Kings College in London were trying … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: How dying cells could help save lives; could modified blood stem cells reverse diabetes?; and FDA has good news for patients, bad news for rogue clinics

CIRM stories that caught our eye: UCSD team stops neuromuscular disease in mice, ALS trial enrolls 1st patients and Q&A with CIRM Prez

Ordinarily, we end each week at the Stem Cellar with a few stem cell stories that caught our eye. But, for the past couple of weeks we've been busy churning out stories related to our Month of CIRM blog series, which we hope you've found enlightening. To round out the series, we present this "caught … Continue reading CIRM stories that caught our eye: UCSD team stops neuromuscular disease in mice, ALS trial enrolls 1st patients and Q&A with CIRM Prez

Caught our eye: new Americans 4 Cures video, better mini-brains reveal Zika insights and iPSC recipes go head-to-head

How stem cell research gives patients hope (Karen Ring). You can learn about the latest stem cell research for a given disease in seconds with a quick google search. You’ll find countless publications, news releases and blogs detailing the latest advancements that are bringing scientists and clinicians closer to understanding why diseases happen and how … Continue reading Caught our eye: new Americans 4 Cures video, better mini-brains reveal Zika insights and iPSC recipes go head-to-head

Stem Cell Stories That Caught Our Eye: Halting Brain Cancer, Parkinson’s disease and Stem Cell Awareness Day

Stopping brain cancer in its tracks. Scientists at Stanford Medicine discovered that you can halt aggressive brain cancers called high-grade gliomas by cutting off their supply of a signaling protein called neuroligin-3. Their research, which was funded by CIRM and the NIH, was published this week in the journal Nature.  The Stanford team, led by … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories That Caught Our Eye: Halting Brain Cancer, Parkinson’s disease and Stem Cell Awareness Day

Stem Cell Stories That Caught our Eye: Insights into a healthy brain, targeting mutant cancers and commercializing cell therapies

Here's your weekly roundup of interesting stem cell stories! Partnership for a healthy brain. To differentiate or not to differentiate. That is the question the stem cells in our tissues and organs face. In the case of the brain, neural precursor cells can either remain in a stem cell state or they can differentiate into mature brain … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories That Caught our Eye: Insights into a healthy brain, targeting mutant cancers and commercializing cell therapies