Investing in CAR T-cell therapy to treat cancer

Photo credit: UC Regents  The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is investing $4 million to support Dr. William Murphy and UC Davis researchers to develop and test a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to treat various B-cell malignancies, ranging from lymphomas to leukemias.  In this Q&A—courtesy of UC Davis Health—Dr. Murphy discusses the importance of T-cell therapy and its implications … Continue reading Investing in CAR T-cell therapy to treat cancer

A better, faster, more effective way to edit genes

Clinical fellow Brian Shy talks with postdoctoral scholar Tori Yamamoto in the Marson Lab at Gladstone Institutes on June 8th, 2022. Photo courtesy Gladstone Institutes. For years scientists have been touting the potential of CRISPR, a gene editing tool that allows you to target a specific mutation and either cut it out or replace it … Continue reading A better, faster, more effective way to edit genes

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awards $5.8 million for prostate cancer research to USC 

The American Cancer Society estimates that this year in the United States, there will be 268,490 new cases of prostate cancer. It also estimates that 34,500 men will die from the cancer in 2022. Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men.   These stark statistics are why the California … Continue reading The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awards $5.8 million for prostate cancer research to USC 

Two Early-Stage Research Programs Targeting Cartilage Damage Get Funding from Stem Cell Agency

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Darryl D'Lima: Scripps Health Every year millions of Americans suffer damage to their cartilage, either in their knee or other joints, that can eventually lead to osteoarthritis, pain and immobility. Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) approved two projects targeting … Continue reading Two Early-Stage Research Programs Targeting Cartilage Damage Get Funding from Stem Cell Agency

Making stem cell and gene therapies available and affordable for all California patients

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Developing a new therapy: Photo courtesy UCLA There is no benefit in helping create a miraculous new therapy that can cure people and save lives if no one except the super-rich can afford it. That’s why the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has made creating … Continue reading Making stem cell and gene therapies available and affordable for all California patients

Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Dr. Ezra Cohen, photo courtesy UCSD Hematologic malignancies are cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes and include different forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Current treatments can be effective, but in those patients that do not respond, there are few treatment options. Today, … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers

Latest CIRM TRAN1 awards focus on CAR-based cell therapy to treat cancer

Earlier this week the CIRM ICOC Board awarded $14.5 million to fund three translational stage research projects (TRAN1), whose goal is to support early development activities necessary for advancement to a clinical study or broad end use of a potential therapy. Although all three projects have their distinct area of focus, they all utilize CAR-based … Continue reading Latest CIRM TRAN1 awards focus on CAR-based cell therapy to treat cancer

CIRM Board Approves Clinical Trials for Blood Cancer and Pediatric Brain Tumors

Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $14.4 million for two new clinical trials for blood cancer and pediatric brain tumors. These awards bring the total number of CIRM-funded clinical trials to 70.  $6.0 million was awarded to Immune-Onc Therapeutics to conduct a clinical trial for patients with acute … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves Clinical Trials for Blood Cancer and Pediatric Brain Tumors

CIRM funding helps improve immune cell therapy to combat HIV

Image description: T cell infected with HIV. Image Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) In June of last year we wrote about how Dr. Scott Kitchen and his team at UCLA are engineering blood forming stem cells in order to fight HIV, a potentially deadly virus that attacks the immune system and … Continue reading CIRM funding helps improve immune cell therapy to combat HIV

Partners in health

From left to right: Heather Dahlenburg, staff research associate; Jan Nolta, director of the Stem Cell Program; Jeannine Logan White, advanced cell therapy project manager; Sheng Yang, graduate student, Bridges Program, Humboldt State University, October 18, 2019. (AJ Cheline/UC Davis) At CIRM we are modest enough to know that we can't do everything by ourselves. … Continue reading Partners in health