Every year, California performs around 100 kidney transplants in children, but, on average, around 50 of these patients will have their bodies reject the transplant. Improving kidney transplant outcomes These children then have to undergo regular dialysis while waiting for a new organ. Even the successful transplants require a lifetime of immunosuppression medications. These medications … Continue reading Making kidney transplants easier for kids and charting a new approach to fighting solid tumors.
chemotherapy
Smoking marijuana could be bad for your heart, but there is an unusual remedy
Smoking medical marijuana: Photo courtesy Elsa Olofsson Millions of Americans use marijuana for medical reasons, including easing anxiety or reducing side effects of cancer treatment. Millions more use it recreationally, saying it helps them relax. A new study now reports that regular marijuana smokers may increase their risk of heart disease and heart attack. Benefits … Continue reading Smoking marijuana could be bad for your heart, but there is an unusual remedy
Stem cell discovery could help shorten cancer treatment recovery
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST A researcher prepares to study blood cells under a microscope. Photo by Getty. A recent discovery by stem cell scientists at Cedars-Sinai may help make cancer treatment more efficient and shorten the time it takes for people to recover from radiation and chemotherapy. Published in the … Continue reading Stem cell discovery could help shorten cancer treatment recovery
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
A new approach to a deadly childhood cancer
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Cancers of the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes (also called hematologic malignancies) are the most common form of cancer in children and young adults. Current treatments can be effective but can also pose life-threatening health risks to the child. Now researchers at Stanford have developed … Continue reading A new approach to a deadly childhood cancer
Retooling a COVID drug to boost its effectiveness
Coronavirus particles, illustration. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out scientists scrambled to find existing medications that might help counter the life-threatening elements of the virus. One of the first medications that showed real promise was remdesivir. It’s an anti-viral drug that was originally developed to target novel, emerging viruses, viruses like COVID19. It was approved … Continue reading Retooling a COVID drug to boost its effectiveness
Paving the Way
When someone scores a goal in soccer all the attention is lavished on them. Fans chant their name, their teammates pile on top in celebration, their agent starts calling sponsors asking for more money. But there’s often someone else deserving of praise too, that’s the player who provided the assist to make the goal possible … Continue reading Paving the Way
Byron’s story
Bryon Jenkin’s is one of the people we profiled in our recent 18 Month Report. The theme of the report is “Perseverance” and Byron certainly epitomizes that. This is his story. Photo of Byron Jenkins - hand on the plane - in his Navy fighter pilot days A former Navy flight officer and accomplished athlete … Continue reading Byron’s story
Stem cell progress and promise in fighting leukemia
Computer illustration of a cancerous white blood cell in leukemia. There is nothing you can do to prevent or reduce your risk of leukemia. That’s not a very reassuring statement considering that this year alone almost 62,000 Americans will be diagnosed with leukemia; almost 23,000 will die from the disease. That’s why CIRM is funding … Continue reading Stem cell progress and promise in fighting leukemia
Antibody effective in cure for rare blood disorders
3D illustration of an antibody binding to a designated target. Illustration created by Audra Geras. A variety of diseases can be traced to a simple root cause: problems in the bone marrow. The bone marrow contains specialized stem cells known as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that give rise to different types of blood cells. As … Continue reading Antibody effective in cure for rare blood disorders