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
CIRM Board
How a Soviet space craft proved an inspiration for CIRM’s latest Board member
George Blumenthal’s life changed on October 4, 1957. That’s the day the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial earth satellite. The beach ball-sized satellite marked the start of the space race between the US and the USSR. It also marked the start of Blumenthal’s fascination with science and space. Fast forward almost 60 … Continue reading How a Soviet space craft proved an inspiration for CIRM’s latest Board member
Cured by Stem Cells
To get anywhere you need a good map, and you need to check it constantly to make sure you are still on the right path and haven’t strayed off course. A year ago the CIRM Board gave us a map, a Strategic Plan, that laid out our course for the next five years. Our Annual … Continue reading Cured by Stem Cells
Stem cell heroes: patients who had life-saving, life-changing treatments inspire CIRM Board
It’s not an easy thing to bring an entire Board of Directors to tears, but four extraordinary people and their families managed to do just that at the last CIRM Board meeting of 2016. The four are patients who have undergone life-saving or life-changing stem cell therapies that were funded by our agency. The … Continue reading Stem cell heroes: patients who had life-saving, life-changing treatments inspire CIRM Board
Translating great stem cell ideas into effective therapies
In science, there are a lot of terms that could easily mystify people without a research background; “translational” is not one of them. Translational research simply means to take findings from basic research and advance them into something that is ready to be tested in people in a clinical trial. Yesterday our Governing Board approved … Continue reading Translating great stem cell ideas into effective therapies
Key Steps Along the Way To Finding Treatments for HIV on World AIDS Day
Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day. It's a day to acknowledge the progress that is being made in HIV prevention and treatment around the world but also to renew our commitment to a future free of HIV. This year's theme is Leadership. Commitment. Impact. At CIRM we are funding a number of projects focused … Continue reading Key Steps Along the Way To Finding Treatments for HIV on World AIDS Day
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
Creating a “Pitching Machine” to speed up our delivery of stem cell treatments to patients
When baseball players are trying to improve their hitting they’ll use a pitching machine to help them fine tune their stroke. Having a device that delivers a ball at a consistent speed can help a batter be more consistent and effective in their swing, and hopefully get more hits. That’s what we are hoping our … Continue reading Creating a “Pitching Machine” to speed up our delivery of stem cell treatments to patients
Funding stem cell research targeting a rare and life-threatening disease in children
If you have never heard of cystinosis you should consider yourself fortunate. It’s a rare condition caused by an inherited genetic mutation. It hits early and it hits hard. Children with cystinosis are usually diagnosed before age 2 and are in end-stage kidney failure by the time they are 9. If that’s not bad enough … Continue reading Funding stem cell research targeting a rare and life-threatening disease in children
The Stem Cellar 