Dr. Sandip Patel (left) and Dr. Dan Kaufman (center) of UC San Diego School of Medicine enjoy a light-hearted moment before Derek Ruff (right) receives the first treatment for cancer using human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Photo courtesy of UC San Diego Health. For patients battling cancer for the first time, it can be quite … Continue reading First patient treated for colon cancer using reprogrammed adult cells
CIRM
Promising start to CIRM-funded trial for life-threatening blood disorder
Aristotle At CIRM we are always happy to highlight success stories, particularly when they involve research we are funding. But we are also mindful of the need not to overstate a finding. To quote the Greek philosopher Aristotle (who doesn’t often make an appearance on this blog), “one swallow does not a summer make”. In … Continue reading Promising start to CIRM-funded trial for life-threatening blood disorder
Targeting clinics offering bogus stem cell therapies
For some years now CIRM has been raising the alarm about the growing numbers of clinics offering unproven and unapproved stem cell therapies. But we are not alone. Now a leader of the California state Assembly is taking action, trying to ensure the clinics follow the law and don’t endanger patients. Kevin Mullin is the … Continue reading Targeting clinics offering bogus stem cell therapies
Stem Cell Agency Awards Almost $4 Million to Develop a Treatment for Spinal Degeneration
Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $3.9 million to Ankasa Regenerative Therapeutics for a promising approach to treat a degenerative condition that can cause chronic, progressive back pain. As we get older, the bones, joints and ligaments in our back become weak and less able to hold the … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Awards Almost $4 Million to Develop a Treatment for Spinal Degeneration
Newly developed biosensor can target leukemic stem cells
Dr. Michael Milyavsky (left) and his research student Muhammad Yassin (right). Image courtesy of Tel Aviv University. Every three minutes, one person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer, which amounts to over 175,000 people every year. Every nine minutes, one person in the United States dies from a blood cancer, which … Continue reading Newly developed biosensor can target leukemic stem cells
Stem cell byproducts provide insight into cure for spina bifida
A diagram of an infant born with spina bifida, a birth defect where there is an incomplete closing of the backbone portion of the spinal cord. Photo courtesy of the Texas Children's Hospital website. Some of you might remember a movie in the early 2000s by the name of "Miracle in Lane 2". The film … Continue reading Stem cell byproducts provide insight into cure for spina bifida
Gene therapy gives patient a cure and a new lease on life
Brenden Whittaker (left), of Ohio, is a patient born with a rare genetic immune disease who was treated at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in a CIRM funded gene therapy trial. Dr. David Williams (on right) is Brenden's treating physician.Photo courtesy of Rose Lincoln - Harvard Staff Photographer Pursuing an education can … Continue reading Gene therapy gives patient a cure and a new lease on life
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
Major league baseball star and his wife turn to IVF to conceive child free of Huntington’s Disease
Joe Smith, pitcher for the Houston Astros, and his wife, sports reporter Allie LaForce. Smith's family carries the gene for Huntington's Disease. Photo courtesy of Huntington's Disease Society for America website. For many couples, one of the most monumental moments in life is the decision made to conceive a child together and start a family. … Continue reading Major league baseball star and his wife turn to IVF to conceive child free of Huntington’s Disease
A new stem cell derived tool for studying brain diseases
Sergiu Pasca’s three-dimensional culture makes it possible to watch how three different brain-cell types – oligodendrocytes (green), neurons (magenta) and astrocytes (blue) – interact in a dish as they do in a developing human brain. Courtesy of the Pasca lab Neurological diseases are among the most daunting diagnoses for a patient to receive, because they … Continue reading A new stem cell derived tool for studying brain diseases
The Stem Cellar 