THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST For more than a decade, CIRM has funded a number of educational and research training programs to give students the opportunity to explore stem cell science. One such project, the Bridges to Stem Cell Research program, helps train future generation of scientists by preparing undergraduate and … Continue reading Bridges Scholar Spotlight: Samira Alwahabi
One step closer to making ‘off-the-shelf’ immune cell therapy for cancer a reality
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses a person's own immune system to fight cancer. It comes in a variety of forms including targeted antibodies, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell therapies. While immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment of aggressive cancers in recent decades, they must be created … Continue reading One step closer to making ‘off-the-shelf’ immune cell therapy for cancer a reality
Type 1 diabetes therapy gets go-ahead for clinical trial
ViaCyte's implantable cell-based therapy for type 1 diabetes THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Taking even the most promising therapy and moving it out of the lab and into people is an incredibly complex process and usually requires a great team. Now, two great teams have paired up to do just that … Continue reading Type 1 diabetes therapy gets go-ahead for clinical trial
Sweating bullets and other stories from the front line
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the 2020 election became one of the most contentious in living history, it suddenly made trying to get a proposition on the ballot in California a lot harder. That meant the fate of Proposition 14, a ballot initiative refunding CIRM, … Continue reading Sweating bullets and other stories from the front line
A year unlike any other – a look back at one year post Prop 14
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST State flag of California 2020 was, by any standards, a pretty wacky year. Pandemic. Political convulsions. And a huge amount of uncertainty as to the funding of life-saving therapies at CIRM. Happily, those all turned out OK. We got vaccines to take care of COVID. The … Continue reading A year unlike any other – a look back at one year post Prop 14
Old therapies inspire new hope for treatment of pediatric brain tumors
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Image courtesy St. Jude Children's Research Hospital A recent study led by John Hopkins Medicine has found that combining two 'old therapies' can offer a surprising new purpose - fighting Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children. The fast-growing cancerous tumor originates in the brain … Continue reading Old therapies inspire new hope for treatment of pediatric brain tumors
Promising new approach for people with epilepsy
Image courtesy Epilepsy.com THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST A new therapeutic approach, supported by CIRM, that blocks the signals in the brain that can cause epilepsy has been given permission by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be tested in a clinical trial. Nearly 3.5 million Americans suffer from … Continue reading Promising new approach for people with epilepsy
COVID is a real pain in the ear
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST The more you learn about COVID-19 the more there is to dislike about it. The global death toll from the virus is now more than five million and for those who survive there can be long-term health consequences. We know COVID can attack the lungs, heart … Continue reading COVID is a real pain in the ear
Beware of misleading headlines and claims
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Coronavirus particles, illustration. When the COVID pandemic broke out researchers all over the world scrambled to find new approaches to tackling the virus. Some of these, such as the vaccines, proved remarkably effective. Others, such as the anti-parasite medication ivermectin or the anti-malaria drug chloroquine, were … Continue reading Beware of misleading headlines and claims
Reprogramming brain cells to restore vision after a stroke
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST About one third of stroke survivors experience vision loss. It can be a devastating side effect as most patients will not fully recover their vision and there are currently no reliable treatments available. But thanks to a collaborative effort by two teams of researchers from Purdue … Continue reading Reprogramming brain cells to restore vision after a stroke
The Stem Cellar 