The news that President Trump’s administration has told scientists employed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that they can’t buy any new human fetal tissue for research has left many scientists frustrated and worried. The news has also highlighted the reason why voters created CIRM in the first place and the importance of having … Continue reading NIH-scientists are told to stop buying fetal tissue for research, highlighting importance of CIRM’s voter-created independence
CIRM Board
Promising Approach to Curing Spina Bifida Gets $5.6 Million from Stem Cell Agency
Every day in the U.S. four children are born with spina bifida. It is the most common cause of lifelong paralysis and also frequently leads to other serious health problems affecting the bowel and bladder. The impact on families is enormous. A new approach to repairing the defect that causes spina bifida was today awarded … Continue reading Promising Approach to Curing Spina Bifida Gets $5.6 Million from Stem Cell Agency
CIRM invests $1.3 million to study stem cells in metabolic liver disease
Metabolic liver disease, is an emerging public health concern in Western countries, but has largely been overshadowed by health issues such as cancer and diabetes. Chronic liver disease (of which metabolic liver disease is a significant contributor) however, is a significant public health concern, evidenced by its contribution to nearly 2 million deaths per year … Continue reading CIRM invests $1.3 million to study stem cells in metabolic liver disease
Living with sickle cell disease: one person’s story of pain and prejudice and their hopes for a stem cell therapy
Whenever we hold an in-person Board meeting at CIRM we like to bring along a patient or patient advocate to address the Board. Hearing from the people they are trying to help, who are benefiting or may benefit from a therapy CIRM is funding, reminds them of the real-world implications of the decisions they make … Continue reading Living with sickle cell disease: one person’s story of pain and prejudice and their hopes for a stem cell therapy
Stem Cell Agency Invests in New Immunotherapy Approach to HIV, Plus Promising Projects Targeting Blindness and Leukemia
While we have made great progress in developing therapies that control the AIDS virus, HIV/AIDS remains a chronic condition and HIV medicines themselves can give rise to a new set of medical issues. That’s why the Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded $3.8 million to a team from City of Hope … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Invests in New Immunotherapy Approach to HIV, Plus Promising Projects Targeting Blindness and Leukemia
Newest member of CIRM Board is a guitar-playing, German Shepherd dog loving, molecular geneticist
The newest member of the CIRM Board is a researcher who wasn't always sure she would have a career as a scientist. Suzanne Sandmeyer, PhD, says at the start of her career she had a lot of doubts. “During my postdoc, I was developing the impression I would struggle to survive in my career as … Continue reading Newest member of CIRM Board is a guitar-playing, German Shepherd dog loving, molecular geneticist
CIRM-funded medical research and development company does $150M deal to improve care for dialysis patients
Nearly half a million Americans with kidney disease are on dialysis, so it’s not surprising the CIRM Board had no hesitation, back in July 2016, in funding a program to make it easier and safer to get that life-saving therapy. That's why it’s gratifying to now hear that Humacyte, the company behind this new dialysis … Continue reading CIRM-funded medical research and development company does $150M deal to improve care for dialysis patients
CIRM invests in stem cell clinical trial targeting lung cancer and promising research into osteoporosis and incontinence
The five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with the most advanced stage of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is pretty grim, only between one and 10 percent. To address this devastating condition, the Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) today voted to invest almost $12 million in a team from UCLA that … Continue reading CIRM invests in stem cell clinical trial targeting lung cancer and promising research into osteoporosis and incontinence
CIRM Invests in Medeor Therapeutics’ Phase 3 Clinical Trial to Help Kidney Transplant Patients
Last week, CIRM’s governing Board approved funding for a Phase 3 clinical trial testing a stem cell-based treatment that could eliminate the need for immunosuppressive drugs in some patients receiving kidney transplants. Over 650,000 Americans suffer from end-stage kidney disease - a life-threatening condition caused by the loss of kidney function. The best available treatment … Continue reading CIRM Invests in Medeor Therapeutics’ Phase 3 Clinical Trial to Help Kidney Transplant Patients
Budgeting for the future of the stem cell agency
Budgets are very rarely exciting things; but they are important. For example, it’s useful for a family to know when they go shopping exactly how much money they have so they know how much they can afford to spend. Stem cell agencies face the same constraints; you can’t spend more than you have. Last week … Continue reading Budgeting for the future of the stem cell agency
The Stem Cellar 