Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in 19 Discovery Research Programs Targeting Cancers, Heart Disease and Other Disorders

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Dr. Judy Shizuru, Stanford University While stem cell and gene therapy research has advanced dramatically in recent years, there are still many unknowns and many questions remaining about how best to use these approaches in developing therapies. That’s why the governing Board of the California Institute … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in 19 Discovery Research Programs Targeting Cancers, Heart Disease and Other Disorders

A CIRM-funded therapy for a deadly blood cancer gets approval for Phase 3 clinical trial

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Michael Wang, MD (right) of the Department of Lymphoma & Myeloma at MD Anderson Cancer Center will lead the Phase 3 clinical Oncternal Therapeutics, Inc. is celebrating an encouraging milestone at the start of the new year following a successful End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA.  Specifically, the FDA agreed on key … Continue reading A CIRM-funded therapy for a deadly blood cancer gets approval for Phase 3 clinical trial

Using a stem cell’s journey to teach kids science

THIS BLOG CAN ALSO BE HEARD AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY As far as Aldo Pourchet is concerned you are never too young to learn about stem cells. Aldo should know. He’s a molecular and cellular biologist and the co-founder and CEO of Omios Bio, which develops immunotherapies for cancer, infectious and inflammatory diseases. Aldo … Continue reading Using a stem cell’s journey to teach kids science

Saying thanks and farewell to a friend

Tom Howing In this job you get to meet a lot of remarkable people, none more so than the patients who volunteer to take part in what are giant experiments. They are courageous pioneers, willing to be among the first people to ever try a new therapy, knowing that it may not help them and, … Continue reading Saying thanks and farewell to a friend

Meet the people who are changing the future

Kristin MacDonald Every so often you hear a story and your first reaction is “oh, I have to share this with someone, anyone, everyone.” That’s what happened to me the other day. I was talking with Kristin MacDonald, an amazing woman, a fierce patient advocate and someone who took part in a CIRM-funded clinical trial … Continue reading Meet the people who are changing the future

Stem Cell All-Stars, All For You

Dr. Larry Goldstein, UC San Diego It’s not often you get a chance to hear some of the brightest minds around talk about their stem cell research and what it could mean for you, me and everyone else. That’s why we’re delighted to be bringing some of the sharpest tools in the stem cell shed … Continue reading Stem Cell All-Stars, All For You

Rave reviews for new Killer-T Cell study

Anytime you read a news headline that claims a new discovery "may treat all cancer" it's time to put your skeptic's hat on. After all, there have been so many over-hyped "discoveries" over the years that later flopped, that it would be natural to question the headline writer. And yet, this time, maybe, this one … Continue reading Rave reviews for new Killer-T Cell study

Predicting the Impact of Stem Cell Cures on Healthcare Burden in California

A new independent report says developing stem cell treatments and cures for some of the most common and deadly diseases could produce multi-billion dollar benefits for California in reduced healthcare costs and improved quality and quantity of life. The report, by researchers at the University of Southern California’s Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy … Continue reading Predicting the Impact of Stem Cell Cures on Healthcare Burden in California

Stories of the week – preterm birth and mice with a human immune system

While we are here at ISSCR 2019 hearing various scientists talk about their work, we realize that there are various breakthroughs in stem cell research in a wide variety of different fields going on every day. It is wonderful to see how scientists are hard at work in developing the latest science and pushing innovation. … Continue reading Stories of the week – preterm birth and mice with a human immune system

How CIRM support helped a promising approach to type 1 diabetes get vital financial backing

The “Valley of Death” sounds like a scary place from “Lord of the Rings” or “Game of Thrones” that our heroes have to navigate to reach safety. The reality is not that different. It’s the space that young companies have to navigate from having a good idea to getting financial backing, so they can move … Continue reading How CIRM support helped a promising approach to type 1 diabetes get vital financial backing