It’s hard to do a good job if you don’t have the right tools. And that doesn’t just apply to fixing things around the house, it applies to all aspects of life. So, in launching our new website this week we didn’t just want to provide visitors to the site with a more enjoyable and … Continue reading The best tools to be the best advocate
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Pioneer’s 25-year struggle to treat blindness
Being a pioneer is never easy. You are charting unknown territory, tackling problems that have defeated others before you. You have to overcome so many obstacles that at times the challenge can seem insurmountable. But for those who succeed in reaching their goal, the rewards can be extraordinary. Last month Italian researcher Graziella Pellegrini saw … Continue reading Pioneer’s 25-year struggle to treat blindness
The search for a cure: how stem cells could eradicate the AIDS virus
It’s hard to overstate just how devastating the AIDS crisis was at its peak in the U.S. – and still is today in many parts of the world. In 1995 almost 51,000 Americans died from the disease, the numbers of new cases were at almost record highs, and there were few effective therapies against the … Continue reading The search for a cure: how stem cells could eradicate the AIDS virus
Money matters: how investing in research advances stem cell science
Our goal at the stem cell agency is simple; to accelerate the development of successful therapies to patients with unmet medical needs. But on the way to doing that something interesting is happening; we’re helping advance the scientific understanding of stem cells and building a robust stem cell research community in California in the process. … Continue reading Money matters: how investing in research advances stem cell science
Getting the right tools for the right job
Imagine a device that sits outside the body and works like a form of dialysis for a damaged liver, filtering out the toxins and giving the liver a chance to regenerate, and the patient a chance to avoid the need for a transplant. Or imagine a method of enhancing the number of stem cells we … Continue reading Getting the right tools for the right job
How partnering with someone half way around the world could help develop new treatments here in California
Much as we love California, and we really do, even we have to admit that genius knows no boundaries and that great scientific research is taking place all over the world. As our goal as an agency is to accelerate the development of successful therapies for people in need it only makes sense that we … Continue reading How partnering with someone half way around the world could help develop new treatments here in California
Tune into Famelab: “American Idol” for scientists and engineers
I sometimes joke that I consider myself and my communications colleagues the “official translators” at the stem cell agency, trying to turn complex science into everyday English. After all, the public is paying for the research that we fund and they have a right to know about the progress being made, in language they can … Continue reading Tune into Famelab: “American Idol” for scientists and engineers
Using stem cells paves new approach to treating a blistering skin disease
Imagine a child not being able to run or jump or just roll around, for fear that any movement could strip away their skin and leave them with open, painful wounds. That’s what life is like for children with a nasty genetic disease called epidermolysis bullosa or EB. The slightest touch can cause their skin … Continue reading Using stem cells paves new approach to treating a blistering skin disease
Taking stock: ten years of the stem cell agency, progress and promise for the future
Under some circumstances ten years can seem like a lifetime. But when lives are at stake, ten years can fly by in a flash. Ten years ago the people of California created the stem cell agency when they overwhelmingly approved Proposition 71, giving us $3 billion to fund and support stem cell research in the … Continue reading Taking stock: ten years of the stem cell agency, progress and promise for the future
Ten at ten at the stem cell agency: sharing the good news about progress from the bench to the bedside
Ten years ago this month the voters of California overwhelmingly approved Proposition 71, creating the state’s stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and providing $3 billion to fund stem cell research in California. That money has helped make California a global leader in stem cell research and led to ten clinical trials … Continue reading Ten at ten at the stem cell agency: sharing the good news about progress from the bench to the bedside
The Stem Cellar 