Newest member of CIRM Board is a fan of horses, Star Trek and Harry Potter – oh, and she just happens to be a brilliant cancer researcher too.

An addition to the family is always a cause for celebration, whether it be a new baby, a puppy, or, in our case, a new Board member. That’s why we are delighted to welcome City of Hope’s Linda Malkas, Ph.D., as the newest member of the CIRM Board. Dr. Malkas has a number of titles … Continue reading Newest member of CIRM Board is a fan of horses, Star Trek and Harry Potter – oh, and she just happens to be a brilliant cancer researcher too.

Don’t Be Afraid: High school stem cell researcher on inspiring girls to pursue STEM careers

As part of our CIRM scholar blog series, we’re featuring the research and career accomplishments of CIRM funded students. Shannon Larsuel is a high school senior at Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena California. Last summer, she participated in Stanford’s CIRM SPARK high school internship program and did stem cell research in a lab that studies … Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid: High school stem cell researcher on inspiring girls to pursue STEM careers

A stem cell clinical trial for blindness: watch Rosie’s story

https://youtu.be/oH4vlVWl6WY Everything we do at CIRM is laser-focused on our mission: to accelerate stem cell treatments for patients with unmet medical needs. So, you might imagine what a thrill it is to meet the people who could be helped by the stem cell research we fund. People like Rosie Barrero who suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa … Continue reading A stem cell clinical trial for blindness: watch Rosie’s story

Stem cells reveal developmental defects in Huntington’s disease

Three letters, C-A-G, can make the difference between being healthy and having a genetic brain disorder called Huntington’s disease (HD). HD is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects movement, cognition and personality. Currently more than 30,000 Americans have HD and there is no cure or treatment to stop the disease from progressing. A genetic mutation … Continue reading Stem cells reveal developmental defects in Huntington’s disease

Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: stem cell insights into anorexia, Zika infection and bubble baby disease

Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Stem cell model identifies new culprit for anorexia. Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa are often thought to be caused by psychological disturbances or societal pressure. … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: stem cell insights into anorexia, Zika infection and bubble baby disease

Mixed Matches: How Your Heritage Can Save a Life

Today we bring you a guest blog from Athena Mari Asklipiadis. She's the founder of Mixed Marrow, which is an organization dedicated to finding bone marrow and blood cell donors to patients of multiethnic descent. Athena helped produce a 2016 documentary film called Mixed Match that encourages mixed race and minority donors to register as adult donors. Due to … Continue reading Mixed Matches: How Your Heritage Can Save a Life

Three people left blind by Florida clinic’s unproven stem cell therapy

The report makes for chilling reading. Three women, all suffering from macular degeneration – the leading cause of vision loss in the US – went to a Florida clinic hoping that a stem cell therapy would save their eyesight. Instead, it caused all three to go blind. The study, in the latest issue of the … Continue reading Three people left blind by Florida clinic’s unproven stem cell therapy

A horse, stem cells and an inspiring comeback story that may revolutionize tendon repair

Everyone loves a good comeback story. Probably because it leaves us feeling inspired and full of hope. But the comeback story about a horse named Dream Alliance may do more than that: his experience promises to help people with Achilles tendon injuries get fully healed and back on their feet more quickly. Dream Alliance was … Continue reading A horse, stem cells and an inspiring comeback story that may revolutionize tendon repair

Building the World’s Largest iPSC Repository: An Interview with CIRM’s Stephen Lin

This blog originally appeared on RegMedNet and was provided by Freya Leask, Editor & Community Manager of RegMedNet. In this interview, Stephen Lin, Senior Science Officer at the California Institute Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), discusses the scope, challenges and potential of CIRM’s iPSC Initiative.    Stephen Lin received his PhD from Washington University (MO, USA) and completed his postdoctoral … Continue reading Building the World’s Largest iPSC Repository: An Interview with CIRM’s Stephen Lin

Stem Cell Stories That Caught Our Eye: Three new ways to target cancer stem cells

Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Targeting cancer stem cells. This week, three studies came out with novel ways for targeting cancer stem cells in different types of cancers. Here’s a … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories That Caught Our Eye: Three new ways to target cancer stem cells