City of Hope researchers discover potential therapy to treat brain tumors

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a common type of aggressive brain tumor that is found in adults.  Survival of this type of brain cancer is poor with just 40% survival in the first-year post diagnosis and 17% in the second year, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.  This disease has taken the life of former … Continue reading City of Hope researchers discover potential therapy to treat brain tumors

A conversation with Bob Klein about the past, present, and future of CIRM

Bob Klein Anyone who knows anything about CIRM knows about Bob Klein. He's the main author and driving force behind both Proposition 71 and Proposition 14, the voter-approved ballot initiatives that first created and then refunded CIRM. It's safe to say that without Bob, there'd be no CIRM. Recently, we had the great good fortune … Continue reading A conversation with Bob Klein about the past, present, and future of CIRM

Scientists use stem cell ‘mini-brains’ to better understand signs of frontotemporal dementia

Dementia is a general term that describes a set of diseases that impair the ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interfere with doing everyday activities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 50 million people worldwide have dementia with nearly 10 million new cases every year. Although it primarily affects older people … Continue reading Scientists use stem cell ‘mini-brains’ to better understand signs of frontotemporal dementia

Endothelial cell treatment reverses lung damage in mice with emphysema

Emphysema is a condition that causes damage to the alveoli, the air sacs in your lungs. The walls of the damaged air sacs become stretched out and cause your lungs to get bigger. This makes it harder to move your air in and out. It is the most common form of the condition known as … Continue reading Endothelial cell treatment reverses lung damage in mice with emphysema

UCSD researchers use stem cell model to better understand pregnancy complication

A team of UC San Diego researchers recently published novel preeclampsia models to aid in understanding this pregnancy complication that occurs in one of 25 U.S. pregnancies. Researchers include (left to right): Ojeni Touma, Mariko Horii, Robert Morey and Tony Bui. Credit: UC San Diego Pregnant women often tread uncertain waters in regards to their … Continue reading UCSD researchers use stem cell model to better understand pregnancy complication

Stem cell treatment improves motor function in monkeys modeling Parkinson’s Disease

Neurodegenerative diseases impact millions of people worldwide with the risk of being affected by one of these diseases increasing as you get older. For many of these diseases, there are very few treatments available to patients. As life expectancy increases and the population continues to age, it is crucial to try and find treatments that … Continue reading Stem cell treatment improves motor function in monkeys modeling Parkinson’s Disease

Heads or tails? Stem cells help guide the decision

Two cell embryo There are many unknown elements for what triggers the cells in an embryo to start dividing and multiplying and becoming every single cell in the body. Now researchers at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco have uncovered one of those elements, how embryos determine which cells become the head and which the … Continue reading Heads or tails? Stem cells help guide the decision

CIRM funded trial for AMD shows promising results

This upcoming July is healthy vision month, a time to remember the importance of making vision and eye health a priority. It's also a time to think about the approximately 12 million people, 40 and over in the United States, that have a vision impairment. Vision can be something that many of us take for … Continue reading CIRM funded trial for AMD shows promising results

CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for ALS

This past Friday the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $11.99 million to Cedars-Sinai to fund a clinical trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the death of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for ALS

Study shows that COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in people with cancer

As we have seen in the US and all around the world, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can cause severe complications and even death in many patients. In the early days of the pandemic, CIRM authorized $5 million in emergency funding for projects targeting the virus. To date CIRM has funded 20 projects related … Continue reading Study shows that COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in people with cancer