Rosalinda Barrero says people often thought she was rude, or a snob, because of the way she behaved, pretending not to see them or ignoring them on the street. The truth is Rosalinda has retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a nasty disease, one that often attacks early in life and slowly destroys a person’s vision. Rosalinda’s eyes … Continue reading A hopeful sight: therapy for vision loss cleared for clinical trial
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: a new type of stem cell, stomach cancer and babies—stem cell assisted and gene altered
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. New type of stem cell easier to grow, more versatile. Both the professional scientific media and the lay science media devoted considerable ink and electrons … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: a new type of stem cell, stomach cancer and babies—stem cell assisted and gene altered
New Video: Defeating Sickle Cell Disease with Stem Cells + Gene Therapy
Suffering with an incurable illness is no laughing matter. But last year when we debuted the pilot episode of Stem Cells in Your Face, a lighthearted video series that describes specific diseases and explains the latest progress in stem cell-based therapies, we hoped that a mix of science and humor would help make the information … Continue reading New Video: Defeating Sickle Cell Disease with Stem Cells + Gene Therapy
Genes + Cells: Stem Cells deliver genes as “drugs” & hope for ALS
This month a lab animal will become the initial patient in the final steps in Clive Svendsen’s 15-year quest to provide the first meaningful therapy for people with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. If that animal and subsequent ones in this required study have good results—no side effects from the treatment—Svendsen plans to … Continue reading Genes + Cells: Stem Cells deliver genes as “drugs” & hope for ALS
Thrust into ALS Advocacy
I have always had a fascination for medicine, and thanks to the Internet, I’ve become a tireless researcher. Having already faced breast cancer a decade ago, the only power I have ever felt over the adversity of a life-threatening illness is knowledge. When I was diagnosed in August 2014 with bulbar ALS, I had to … Continue reading Thrust into ALS Advocacy
Genes + Cells: Stem Cells Deliver Genetic Punch
Bad luck stalked the early years of gene therapy. The pioneering research revealed it is difficult to manipulate a patient’s genes both efficiently and safely. Today, after more than two decades of tireless labor in the lab, nearly 2,000 gene therapy trials have been conducted or are approved, with many of the most promising using … Continue reading Genes + Cells: Stem Cells Deliver Genetic Punch
Using stem cells to mend a broken heart and winning $6,000 to boot
It’s no secret that the members of the CIRM blog team are all big fans of scientists who are good public communicators. We feel that the more scientists talk about their research, the better the public will understand the importance of science and it’s ability to help them or someone they love. So on Monday … Continue reading Using stem cells to mend a broken heart and winning $6,000 to boot
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: spina bifida, review of heart clinical trials, tracking cells and cell switches
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 cells boost fetal surgery for spina bifida. Fetal surgery to correct the spinal defect that causes spina bifida has revolutionized treatment for the debilitating … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: spina bifida, review of heart clinical trials, tracking cells and cell switches
Charting a new, faster way to fund science and help patients
Change is never easy. In fact, sometimes it can be downright hard. But change is also essential if you want to grow, to get faster and better. When we launched CIRM 2.0 we set out to produce a better, faster, more effective and efficient way to deliver stem cell therapies to patients with unmet medical … Continue reading Charting a new, faster way to fund science and help patients
Pioneering treatments: planning first-in-human stem cell clinical trials
Sometimes the reason for the most complex of projects can be boiled down to the most simple of phrases. At a meeting last week to help plan for our Alpha Stem Cell Clinic network there were lots of great presentations and discussions about the role of the network, how to structure it, what its goals … Continue reading Pioneering treatments: planning first-in-human stem cell clinical trials
The Stem Cellar 