An Organ-Chip used in the study to create a blood-brain barrier (BBB). The brain is a complex part of the human body that allows for the formation of thoughts and consciousness. In many ways it is the essence of who we are as individuals. Because of its importance, our bodies have developed various layers of … Continue reading Blood-brain barrier chip created with stem cells expands potential for personalized medicine
Taking the message to the people: fighting for the future of stem cell research in California
Stem cells have been in the news a lot this week, and not necessarily for the right reason. First, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) won a big legal decision in its fight to crack down on clinics offering bogus, unproven and unapproved stem cell therapies. William Shatner: Photograph by Jerry Avenaim.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3413082 But then … Continue reading Taking the message to the people: fighting for the future of stem cell research in California
CIRM-funded clinical trial shows encouraging results for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia & mantle cell lymphoma
Illustration courtesy of Oncternal Therapeutics I often joke that my job here at CIRM is to be the official translator for the stem cell agency. I have to translate complex science into everyday English that people without a science background – that includes me – can understand. Think I’m joking? Try making sense of this. … Continue reading CIRM-funded clinical trial shows encouraging results for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia & mantle cell lymphoma
CIRM funded clinical trial shows promising results for patients with blood cancers
An illustration of a macrophage, a vital part of the immune system, engulfing and destroying a cancer cell. Antibody 5F9 blocks a "don't eat me" signal emitted from cancer cells. Courtesy of Forty Seven, Inc. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are both types of blood cancers that can be difficult to treat. CIRM … Continue reading CIRM funded clinical trial shows promising results for patients with blood cancers
Media matters in spreading the word
Cover of New Yorker article on "The Birth Tissue Profiteers". Illustration by Ben Jones When you have a great story to tell the best and most effective way to get it out to the widest audience is still the media, both traditional mainstream and new social media. Recently we have seen three great examples of … Continue reading Media matters in spreading the word
Stanford and University of Tokyo researchers crack the code for blood stem cells
Blood stem cells grown in lab Blood stem cells offer promise for a variety of immune and blood related disorders such as sickle cell disease and leukemia. Like other stem cells, blood stem cells have the ability to generate additional blood stem cells in a process called self-renewal. Additionally, they are able to generate blood … Continue reading Stanford and University of Tokyo researchers crack the code for blood stem cells
Stem Cell Agency Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Type 1 Diabetes
Dr. Peter Stock at the capitol in Sacramento in May 2016. Photo courtesy of Steve German. Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $11.08 Million to Dr. Peter Stock at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) to conduct a clinical trial for treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Type 1 Diabetes
How a see-through fish could one day lead to substitutes for bone marrow transplants
Human blood stem cells For years researchers have struggled to create human blood stem cells in the lab. They have done it several times with animal models, but the human kind? Well, that’s proved a bit trickier. Now a CIRM-funded team at UC San Diego (UCSD) think they have cracked the code. And that would … Continue reading How a see-through fish could one day lead to substitutes for bone marrow transplants
CIRM public events highlight uncertain future of stem cell research
When governments cut funding for scientific research the consequences can be swift, and painful. In Canada last week for example, the government of Ontario cut $5 million in annual funding for stem cell research, effectively ending a project developing a therapy to heal the damaged lungs of premature babies. Here in the US the federal … Continue reading CIRM public events highlight uncertain future of stem cell research
Stories that caught our eye: FDA grants orphan drug status to CIRM-funded therapy; stunning discovery upends ideas of cell formation; and how tadpoles grow new tails
Gut busting discovery Intestinal stem cells: Photo courtesy Klaus Kaestner, Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine It’s not often you read the word “sensational” in a news release about stem cells. But this week researchers at the University of Copenhagen released findings that are overturning long-held ideas about the development of cells in our stomachs. So … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: FDA grants orphan drug status to CIRM-funded therapy; stunning discovery upends ideas of cell formation; and how tadpoles grow new tails
The Stem Cellar 