Way back in 2013, the CIRM Board invested $32 million in a project to create an iPSC Bank. The goal was simple; to collect tissue samples from people who have different diseases, turn those samples into high quality stem cell lines – the kind known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) – and create a … Continue reading You can bank on CIRM
You never know when you write something if people are going to read it. Sometimes you wonder if anyone is going to read it. So, it’s always fun, and educational, to look back at the end of the year and see which pieces got the most eyeballs. It isn’t always the ones you think will … Continue reading The most popular Stem Cellar posts of 2018
Currently, more than 10 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s disease (PD). By 2020, in the US alone, people living with Parkinson’s are expected to outnumber the cases of multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig’s disease combined. There is no cure for Parkinson’s and treatment options consist of medications that patients ultimately develop tolerance … Continue reading Japanese scientists implant first Parkinson’s patient with replacement neurons derived from stem cells
In addition to approving funding for breast cancer related brain metastases last week, the CIRM Board also approved an additional $19.7 million geared towards our translational research program. The goal of this program is to help promising projects complete the testing needed to begin talking to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about holding … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves $19.7 Million in Awards for Translational Research Program
At 18 years old, there are several life-changing moments that young people look forward to. For some, it involves graduating from high school, starting college, and being able to cast a vote in an election. For others, this momentous occasion symbolizes the official start of adulthood. For James O’ Brien, this milestone was marked by … Continue reading Stem cell treatment restores man’s sight in right eye after 25 years
Two UK patients suffering from vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have regained their sight thanks to a stem cell-based retinal patch developed by researchers from UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). The preliminary results of this promising Phase 1 clinical study were published yesterday in the journal Nature Biotechnology. AMD is one of the … Continue reading Stem Cell Patch Restores Vision in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Two voices, one message, watch out for predatory stem cell clinics Last week two new papers came out echoing each other about the dangers of bogus “therapies” being offered by predatory stem cell clinics and the risks they pose to patients. The first was from the Pew Charitable Trusts entitled: ‘Harms Linked to Unapproved Stem … Continue reading
Yesterday the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $9.28 million to Dr. Saul Priceman at City of Hope to conduct a clinical trial for the treatment of breast cancer related brain metastases, which are tumors in the brain that have spread from the original site of the breast cancer. This … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Breast Cancer Related Brain Metastases
Dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the U.S. By 2020 it’s estimated that as many as three million Americans will be affected by the disease. Right now, there is no effective therapy. But that could change. A new CIRM-funded clinical trial is showing promise in helping people battling … Continue reading Encouraging news about CIRM-funded clinical trial targeting vision loss
Generally speaking, I am not a huge fan of gala dinners. It’s not that I don’t like seeing people who do remarkable things getting a well-deserved honor. It’s just that the dinners often go on too long and the food is usually not very good (hey, this is San Francisco, those things matter). But last … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency’s Diane Winokur hailed as Visionary
The Stem Cellar 