Kris Boesen - Photo courtesy USC Hope is fragile. We cling to it in hard times because it helps us believe we can endure today’s struggles and that tomorrow will be better. Kris Boesen understands what it means to hold on to hope. On March 6 of this year, a car accident paralyzed him from … Continue reading Young man with spinal cord injury regains use of hands and arms after stem cell therapy
Asterias Biotherapeutics
Clearing the first hurdle: spinal cord injury trial passes safety review
Starting a clinical trial is like taking a step into the unknown. It’s moving a potential therapy out of the lab and testing it in people. To reach this point the researchers have done a lot of work trying to ensure the therapy is safe. But that work was done in the lab, and on … Continue reading Clearing the first hurdle: spinal cord injury trial passes safety review
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: turning on T cells; fixing our brains; progress and trends in stem cells; and one young man’s journey to recover from a devastating injury
A healthy T cell Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Directing the creation of T cells. To paraphrase the GOP Presidential nominee, any sane person LOVES, LOVES LOVES their T cells, … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: turning on T cells; fixing our brains; progress and trends in stem cells; and one young man’s journey to recover from a devastating injury
Stem cell transplant offers Jake a glimpse of hope
Jake Javier surrounded by friends; Photo courtesy Julie Haener KTVU (Editor's note: Here's an update from 2024 on Jake.) Jake Javier became the latest member of a very select group, individuals who've undergonea stem cell transplant for a spinal cord injury. Asterias Biotherapeutics clinical trial The therapy is part of the CIRM-funded clinical trial run … Continue reading Stem cell transplant offers Jake a glimpse of hope
More Good News From CIRM-Funded Spinal Cord Injury Trial
It’s been less than a year since we last reported on the CIRM-funded Asterias Biotherapeutics trial for spinal cord injury (SCI), and we already have more – still preliminary – but good news to share. The company recently released encouraging long-term follow-up results from their original Phase 1 clinical trial that suggest their stem cell … Continue reading More Good News From CIRM-Funded Spinal Cord Injury Trial
New Video: Spinal Cord Injury and a CIRM-Funded Stem Cell-Based Trial
Just 31 years old, Richard Lajara thought he was going to die. On September 9, 2011 he slipped on some rocks at a popular swimming hole and was swept down a waterfall headfirst into a shallow, rocky pool of water. Though he survived, the fall left him paralyzed from the waist down due to a … Continue reading New Video: Spinal Cord Injury and a CIRM-Funded Stem Cell-Based Trial
CIRM-funded clinical trial for spinal cord injury reports promising results
Today, the Menlo Park-based biotech company Asterias Biotherapeutics reported positive results from the first three patients treated in its Phase 1/2a clinical study using stem cell therapy to treat patients with spinal cord injury. This trial is funded by a CIRM Strategic Partnerships Award grant of $14.3 million. Asterias has developed a stem cell therapy … Continue reading CIRM-funded clinical trial for spinal cord injury reports promising results
FDA gives Asterias green light to start CIRM-funded clinical trial in spinal cord injury
This morning Asterias Biotherapeutics announced that they have been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start a clinical trial using stem cells to treat spinal cord injury. It’s great news, doubly so as we are funding that trial. You can read more about the trial in a news release we just sent … Continue reading FDA gives Asterias green light to start CIRM-funded clinical trial in spinal cord injury