The COVID pandemic put a lot of things on hold over the last two years. But thanks to the vaccine and boosters more and more people are feeling comfortable about getting out and about again. Case in point, the Orange County Marathon was held for the first time in two years on Sunday, May 1st. … Continue reading Marathon effort to raise awareness about Huntington’s disease
CIRM funding
IBSC directors bring in nearly $12 million to fund the future of bimolecular research at UC Santa Cruz
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Left to right: Lindsay Hinck and Camilla Forsberg UC Santa Cruz professors Camilla Forsberg and Lindsay Hinck are not only pushing boundaries in their field as the female-led program directors of the Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells (IBSC), they’ve also been looking for ways … Continue reading IBSC directors bring in nearly $12 million to fund the future of bimolecular research at UC Santa Cruz
UC Davis Health researchers aim to use CAR T cells for HIV cure
Dr. Abedi (right) in the lab at UC Davis Health. He and his team of researchers have launched a study looking to identify a potential cure for HIV. Photo Courtesy of UC Davis Health. Worldwide, almost 38 million people are living with HIV—the virus that can lead to AIDS— and it’s estimated that 75% of … Continue reading UC Davis Health researchers aim to use CAR T cells for HIV cure
Using reengineered human skin cells to treat COVID-19
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have identified a potential new therapy for COVID-19: a biologic substance created by reengineered human skin cells. In the study—co-funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)—scientists found the substance stopped SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from reproducing itself. The … Continue reading Using reengineered human skin cells to treat COVID-19
Rare Disease: An Uphill Battle for Diagnosis and Treatment
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST From left to right: Baby Dalia pre-diagnosis, Dalia on her way to the kindergarten, and Dalia today. When Dalia was 5 years old, she was finally diagnosed with MERRF syndrome- an extremely rare form of mitochondrial disease. By then, her parents had been searching for an … Continue reading Rare Disease: An Uphill Battle for Diagnosis and Treatment
How two California researchers are advancing world class science to develop real life solutions
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST In our recently launched 5-year Strategic Plan, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) profiled two researchers who have leveraged CIRM funding to translate basic biological discoveries into potential real-world solutions for devastating diseases. Dr. Joseph Wu is director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and the recipient … Continue reading How two California researchers are advancing world class science to develop real life solutions
Researchers develop a stem cell-based implant for cartilage restoration and treating osteoarthritis
The Plurocart’s scaffold membrane seeded with stem cell-derived chondrocytes. Image courtesy of USC Photo/Denis Evseenko. THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have used a stem cell-based bio-implant to repair cartilage and delay joint degeneration in a large animal model. This paves the way … Continue reading Researchers develop a stem cell-based implant for cartilage restoration and treating osteoarthritis
Sweating bullets and other stories from the front line
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the 2020 election became one of the most contentious in living history, it suddenly made trying to get a proposition on the ballot in California a lot harder. That meant the fate of Proposition 14, a ballot initiative refunding CIRM, … Continue reading Sweating bullets and other stories from the front line
Building a better brain (model) in the lab
Leica Picture of a brain organoid: courtesy National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH One of the biggest problems with trying to understand what is happening in a disease that affects the brain is that it’s really difficult to see what is going on inside someone’s head. People tend to object to you trying … Continue reading Building a better brain (model) in the lab
We’ve got cash, here’s how you can get some
When the voters of California approved Proposition 14 last November (thanks folks) they gave us $5.5 billion to continue the work we started way back in 2014. It’s a great honor, and a great responsibility. It’s also a great opportunity to look at what we do and how we do it and try to come … Continue reading We’ve got cash, here’s how you can get some
The Stem Cellar 