71 for Proposition 71

Proposition 71 is the state ballot initiative that created California's Stem Cell Agency. This month, the Agency reached another milestone when the 71st clinical trial was initiated in the CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinics (ASCC) Network. The ASCC Network deploys specialized teams of doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians to conduct stem cell clinical trials at … Continue reading 71 for Proposition 71

New CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic offers HOPE for boys with deadly disease

For people battling Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a rare and fatal genetic disorder that slowly destroys muscles, hope has often been in short supply. There is no cure and treatments are limited. But now a new clinical trial at the site of one of the newest CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic Network members could change … Continue reading New CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic offers HOPE for boys with deadly disease

Inspiring Video: UC Irvine Stem Cell Trial Gives Orange County Woman Hope in Her Fight Against ALS

Last week, we lost one of our greatest, most influential scientific minds. Stephen Hawking, a famous British theoretical physicist and author of “A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes”, passed away at the age of 76. Hawking lived most of his adult life in a wheelchair because he suffered from … Continue reading Inspiring Video: UC Irvine Stem Cell Trial Gives Orange County Woman Hope in Her Fight Against ALS

Lessons Learned & Knowledge Shared: 3rd Annual Alpha Clinics Symposium Celebrates the Delivery of Stem Cell Treatments to Patients

The CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinics (ASCC) Network was launched in 2015 to address a compelling unmet medical need for rigorous, FDA regulated, stem cell-related clinical trials for patients with challenging, incurable diseases. Since its inception, the Network has treated more than 200 patients in over 40 clinical trials at six leading California medical centers: … Continue reading Lessons Learned & Knowledge Shared: 3rd Annual Alpha Clinics Symposium Celebrates the Delivery of Stem Cell Treatments to Patients

Using the courts to protect patients from unapproved stem cell therapies

A recent article in Nature looked at using lawsuits to help rein in the activities of clinics offering "unapproved" therapies. CIRM's Geoff Lomax explains. When public health officials wanted to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking they filed lawsuits against the tobacco companies. They accused Big Tobacco of deceptive marketing and hiding the negative … Continue reading Using the courts to protect patients from unapproved stem cell therapies

A Noble pursuit; finding the best science to help the most people

Mark Noble, Ph.D., is a pioneer in stem cell research and the Director of the University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute in New York. He is also a member of CIRM’s Grants Working Group (GWG), the panel of independent scientific experts we use to review research applications for funding and decide which … Continue reading A Noble pursuit; finding the best science to help the most people

California gets first royalty check from Stem Cell Agency investments

CIRM recently shared in a little piece of history. The first royalty check, based on CIRM’s investment in stem cell research, was sent to the California State Treasurer’s office from City of Hope. It’s the first of what we hope will be many such checks, helping repay, not just the investment the state made in … Continue reading California gets first royalty check from Stem Cell Agency investments

Alpha clinics and a new framework for accelerating stem cell treatments

Last week, at the World Stem Cell Summit in Miami, CIRM took part in a panel discussion about the role and importance of Alpha Clinics in not just delivering stem cell therapies, but in helping create a new, more collaborative approach to medicine. The Alpha Clinic concept is to create  a network of top medical … Continue reading Alpha clinics and a new framework for accelerating stem cell treatments

Taking a new approach to fighting a deadly brain cancer

CIRM’s 2017 Annual Report will be going live online very soon. In anticipation of that we are highlighting some of the key elements from the report here on the Stem Cellar. One of the most exciting new approaches in targeting deadly cancers is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, using the patient’s own immune system … Continue reading Taking a new approach to fighting a deadly brain cancer

Turning the corner with the FDA and NIH; CIRM creates new collaborations to advance stem cell research

This blog is part of the Month of CIRM series on the Stem Cellar A lot can change in a couple of years. Just take our relationship with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When we were putting together our Strategic Plan in 2015 we did a survey of key players and stakeholders at … Continue reading Turning the corner with the FDA and NIH; CIRM creates new collaborations to advance stem cell research