At CIRM we don’t have a disease hierarchy list that we use to guide where our funding goes. We don’t rank a disease by how many people suffer from it, if it affects children or adults, or how painful it is. But if we did have that kind of hierarchy you can be sure that … Continue reading Stem cell agency funds Phase 3 clinical trial for Lou Gehrig’s disease
Cedars-Sinai
Bridging the Gap: Regenerating Injured Bones with Stem Cells and Gene Therapy
Scientists from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have developed a new stem cell-based technology in animals that mends broken bones that can’t regenerate on their own. Their research was published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine and was funded in part by a CIRM Early Translational Award. Over two million bone grafts are conducted every year … Continue reading Bridging the Gap: Regenerating Injured Bones with Stem Cells and Gene Therapy
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: update on Capricor’s heart attack trial; lithium on the brain; and how stem cells do math
Today our partners Capricor Therapeutics announced that its stem cell therapy for patients who have experienced a large heart attack is unlikely to meet one of its key goals, namely reducing the scar size in the heart 12 months after treatment. The news came after analyzing results from patients at the halfway point of the … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: update on Capricor’s heart attack trial; lithium on the brain; and how stem cells do math
Partnering with the best to help find cures for rare diseases
As a state agency we focus most of our efforts and nearly all our money on California. That’s what we were set up to do. But that doesn’t mean we don’t also look outside the borders of California to try and find the best research, and the most promising therapies, to help people in need. … Continue reading Partnering with the best to help find cures for rare diseases
Failed stem cells may cause deadly lung disease
Breathing is something we take for granted. It’s automatic. We don’t need to think about it. But for people with pulmonary fibrosis, breathing is something that is always on their minds. Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a disease where the tissue in your lungs becomes thick and stiff, even scarred, making it difficult to breathe. It … Continue reading Failed stem cells may cause deadly lung disease
Stem cell agency funds clinical trials in three life-threatening conditions
A year ago the CIRM Board unanimously approved a new Strategic Plan for the stem cell agency. In the plan are some rather ambitious goals, including funding ten new clinical trials in 2016. For much of the last year that has looked very ambitious indeed. But today the Board took a big step towards reaching … Continue reading Stem cell agency funds clinical trials in three life-threatening conditions
Ingenious CIRM-funded stem cell approach to treating ALS gets go-ahead to start clinical trial
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, was first identified way back in 1869 but today, more than 150 years later, there are still no effective treatments for it. Now a project, funded by CIRM, has been given approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start a clinical trial that … Continue reading Ingenious CIRM-funded stem cell approach to treating ALS gets go-ahead to start clinical trial
A Dream made me change my mind. Almost.
Dream Alliance: photo courtesy Daily Telegraph, UK On Friday I was faced with the real possibility that a horse had made an ass out of me. Over the years we have written many articles about the risks of unproven stem cell therapies, treatments that have not yet been shown in clinical trials to be safe … Continue reading A Dream made me change my mind. Almost.
Two for 2.0 and Two for us
It began as an ambitious idea; yesterday it became a reality when the CIRM Board approved two projects under CIRM 2.0, one of them a Phase 3 clinical trial for a deadly form of skin cancer. Just to recap, CIRM 2.0 was introduced by Dr. C. Randal Mills when he took over as President and … Continue reading Two for 2.0 and Two for us
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
The Stem Cellar 