It’s hard to do a good job if you don’t have the right tools. And that doesn’t just apply to fixing things around the house, it applies to all aspects of life. So, in launching our new website this week we didn’t just want to provide visitors to the site with a more enjoyable and … Continue reading The best tools to be the best advocate
CIRM Launches New and Improved Website
CIRM has experienced many exciting changes over the past year: we’ve welcomed a new president, revamped our blog and—perhaps most importantly—announced a radical overhaul in how we fund stem cell research with the launch of CIRM 2.0. That’s not even mentioning the 11 projects we are now funding in clinical trials. And now, we’d like … Continue reading CIRM Launches New and Improved Website
Stem cell stories that caught our eye; cystic fibrosis, brain repair and Type 2 diabetes
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. “Organoids” screen for cystic fibrosis drugs. Starting with iPS-type stem cells made by reprogramming skin cells from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients a team at the … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye; cystic fibrosis, brain repair and Type 2 diabetes
The eyes have it: a video guide to stem cells
We are visual creatures. Our eyes are essential tools in getting information to our brain to help us learn and understand. For example, visuals are processed about 60,000 times faster in the brain than text is, and some 60 percent of us are visual learners, meaning we respond better to visual information than to plain … Continue reading The eyes have it: a video guide to stem cells
New understanding of the inner workings of our genetic tool kit should help us make smarter repairs
For young biology students the steps from genes to their function becomes a mantra: DNA makes RNA and RNA makes protein. But it is really not quite that simple. A few different types of RNA act along the path and we are now learning that the structure, or shape, of the individual RNA molecules affects … Continue reading New understanding of the inner workings of our genetic tool kit should help us make smarter repairs
Conference provides critical connections between clinical projects and investors
Having a mission like CIRM’s, which calls on us to develop therapies for unmet medical needs, clearly means we cannot sit back and marvel at all the great projects we have in the pipeline. We have to deliver commercial products available to all patients in need. And that cannot be done without additional investors. The … Continue reading Conference provides critical connections between clinical projects and investors
Heartfelt award for brilliant young researcher
It can begin in so many different ways: a pain in the jaw, a sore neck, nausea, or more typically a crushing pain to the chest. But regardless of how it starts, surviving a heart attack is always devastating with the loss of as many as one billion heart cells and permanent damage to the … Continue reading Heartfelt award for brilliant young researcher
Stem cell stories that caught our eye; drug screening, aging stem cells in brain repair and blood diseases
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. Heart-on-a-chip used to screen drugs. With CIRM funding, a team at the University of California, Berkeley, has used stem cell technology to create a virtual … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye; drug screening, aging stem cells in brain repair and blood diseases
Pathway discovered that could yield therapies to prevent hearts turning to “bone”
In the Rolling Stones’ lyrics having a “Heart of Stone” protected you from heartbreak. But over a million Americans are developing hearts of bone and it could kill them. CIRM-funded researchers at the Gladstone Institutes think they have uncovered the path to this destructive hardening of the heart and that could lead to therapies to … Continue reading Pathway discovered that could yield therapies to prevent hearts turning to “bone”
Avoiding drug trial tragedies: new stem cell-based test predicts dangerous drug toxicity
In 2006 Ryan Wilson, a healthy 20 year old Londoner, volunteered for a first-in-human clinical trial to help test the safety of a new drug, TGN1412, intended to treat rheumatoid arthritis and leukemia. The cash he’d get in exchange for his time would help fund his upcoming vacation. Instead, he nearly died. Even though the … Continue reading Avoiding drug trial tragedies: new stem cell-based test predicts dangerous drug toxicity
The Stem Cellar 