Frustration, failure and finally hope in the search for treatments for spina bifida

By any standards Dr. Diana Farmer is a determined woman who doesn’t let setbacks and failure deter her. As a fetal and neonatal surgeon, and the chair of the Department of Surgery at UC Davis Health, Dr. Farmer has spent years trying to develop a cure for spina bifida. She’s getting closer. Dr. Farmer and … Continue reading Frustration, failure and finally hope in the search for treatments for spina bifida

CIRM’s 2018 Annual Report

CIRM's 2018 Annual Report sums up the agency accomplishments over the last year in just 24 pages, The report look at the highlights, progress, and the impact CIRM has had on stem cell research over the last year. But it’s also a look forward at the challenges ahead and the people who will help us … Continue reading CIRM’s 2018 Annual Report

The power of one voice: David Higgins’ role in advancing stem cell research

As we start a new year, we are fine tuning our soon-to-be-published 2018 Annual Report, summarizing our work over the past 12 months. The report is far more than just a collection of statistics about how many clinical trials we are funding (50 – not too shabby eh!) or that our support has generated an … Continue reading The power of one voice: David Higgins’ role in advancing stem cell research

Saying goodbye to a good friend and a stem cell pioneer: Karl Trede

Sometimes even courage and determination are not enough. Karl Trede had courage and determination in droves as he fought a 12 year battle against cancer. He recently lost that battle. But he remains an inspiration for all who knew him. I got to know Karl for our 2016 Annual Report. Karl had been diagnosed with … Continue reading Saying goodbye to a good friend and a stem cell pioneer: Karl Trede

CIRM 2017, A year of accelerating stem cell treatments

At CIRM we have our focus very clearly on the future, on accelerating stem cell therapies to patients with unmet medical needs. But every once in a while, it’s a good idea to look back at what you have already done. Knowing where you came from can help you get to where you are heading. … Continue reading CIRM 2017, A year of 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

How CIRM funding creates additional financial support for stem cell research in California

CIRM’s 2017 Annual Report will go live online soon. In anticipation of that we are highlighting some of the key elements from the report here on the Stem Cellar. Partnerships that help advance stem cell research CIRM funds stem cell research.  We all know that.  What you may not know is that CIRM also helps … Continue reading How CIRM funding creates additional financial support for stem cell research in California

How Tom Howing turned to stem cells to battle back against a deadly cancer

As we enter the new year, CIRM’s 2017 Annual Report will be posted in less than two weeks!  Here’s one of the people we are profiling in the report, a patient who took part in a CIRM-funded clinical trial. In March of 2015, Tom Howing was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Over the next 18 … Continue reading How Tom Howing turned to stem cells to battle back against a deadly cancer

Accelerating stem cell treatments to patients in 2017

As we enter the new year, CIRM’s 2017 Annual Report will be posted in a few short weeks!  Here’s a sneak peek at CIRM’s progress in clinical trials. 2017 CIRM Annual Report 2017 Annual Report At the start of 2017, we set a goal to find and fund 12 new, high-quality clinical trials. We easily … Continue reading Accelerating stem cell treatments to patients in 2017

CIRM-funded life-saving stem cell therapy gets nod of approval from FDA

If you have read our 2016 Annual Report (and if you haven’t you should, it’s brilliant) or just seen the cover you’ll know that it features very prominently a young girl named Evie Padilla Vaccaro. Evie was born with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency or SCID – also known as “bubble baby disease”; we’ve written about it … Continue reading CIRM-funded life-saving stem cell therapy gets nod of approval from FDA