It’s not often that a TV cartoon show that is described as “Sick, twisted and politically incorrect” makes an interesting observation about stem cell research. But then, The Family Guy is not a typical TV show. It describes itself a show about how “a dysfunctional Rhode Island family strive to cope with everyday life as … Continue reading “Family guy” in favor of stem cell research

It’s not often that a TV cartoon show that is described as “Sick, twisted and politically incorrect” makes an interesting observation about stem cell research. But then, The Family Guy is not a typical TV show. It describes itself a show about how “a dysfunctional Rhode Island family strive to cope with everyday life as … Continue reading "Family guy" in favor of stem cell research

As summer winds down and school starts back up, some of the students are returning with high-tech stories about what they did this summer. Nine institutions in California hosted high school students to carry out stem cell research for the summer. (We blogged recently about an end-of-program meeting for those students.)We’re really excited about the … Continue reading CIRM stem cell research interns: the high school musical

Over the past three days the New York Times has been running a fascinating series of stories on regenerative medicine and the use of stem cells to treat a number of serious medical conditions from a cancerous windpipe to a leg shattered by a Taliban bomb. It’s a interesting glimpse into the hope and promise … Continue reading New intestines for babies, new muscles for soldiers

Vanessa Lupian and her Mother Veronica discuss Vanessa's liver transplantImagine browsing a restaurant menu and all you see is a list of toxins that can cause constant vomiting, hallucinations, emergency dialysis treatment, brain damage, and even death. That was the predicament of 13 year old Vanessa Lupian who spoke, along with her mother Veronica, to … Continue reading Liver transplant saves girl’s life, but not everyone can get one: stem cell-derived liver cells to the rescue?

Mark TuszynskiI have friends who are paralyzed so I admit to being biased when I read about promising research to repair the spinal cord. I’d like to see my friends walk, or, at least have more movement. The ability to simply hug their kids would be life-changing. Today, there’s a new paper published by a … Continue reading stem cells partially repair spinal cord injuries in rats

Ear hair cell derived from embryonic stem cells | Stefan Heller, Stanford University School of MedicineThis week researchers at the University of Sheffield in England used cells derived from embryonic stem cells to help restore hearing in gerbils. One note: the scientists weren’t driven by a concern for gerbil hearing. It just so happens that … Continue reading Stem cells repair nerves damaged in hearing loss

Geoff Lomax is CIRM's Senior Officer to the Standards Working Group  CIRM recently posted a request for applications to form a stem cell repository or bank that would enable us to store and supply researchers with high quality stem cell lines. (We blogged about that initiative here.) As part of our work in setting up … Continue reading Cell and Tissue Donors: Keeping the Faith in Breakthrough Research

I’m currently reading a fascinating book that sums up the many ways people concocted to kill each other during the jazz age. Mostly women killing their husbands (The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum).One thing I’ve learned from the book is that hope and false advertising spring eternal. In those days, radium was sold as a … Continue reading What do stem cells and radium have in common?

It was a late night for CIRM staff and board members, but worth the long hours given the importance of the evening’s decisions. Tonight the board voted to approve funding for four additional teams of researchers working toward therapies in heart disease, a form of blindness called retinitis pigmentosa, Alzheimer's disease and muscular dystrophy. During … Continue reading New funding for heart disease, blindness, Alzheimer’s, muscular dystrophy