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
clinical trials
Asterias’ stem cell clinical trial shows encouraging results for spinal cord injury patients
When researchers are carrying out a clinical trial they have two goals: first, show that it is safe (the old “do no harm” maxim) and second, show it works. One without the other doesn’t do anyone any good in the long run. A few weeks ago Asterias Biotherapeutics showed that their CIRM-funded stem cell therapy … Continue reading Asterias’ stem cell clinical trial shows encouraging results for spinal cord injury patients
Young man with spinal cord injury regains use of hands and arms after stem cell therapy
Hope is such a fragile thing. We cling to it in bad times. It offers us a sense that we can bear whatever hardships we are facing today, and that tomorrow will be better. Kris Boesen knows all about holding on to hope during bad times. On March 6th of this year he was left … Continue reading Young man with spinal cord injury regains use of hands and arms after stem cell therapy
Clearing the first hurdle: spinal cord injury trial passes safety review
Starting a clinical trial is like taking a step into the unknown. It’s moving a potential therapy out of the lab and testing it in people. To reach this point the researchers have done a lot of work trying to ensure the therapy is safe. But that work was done in the lab, and on … Continue reading Clearing the first hurdle: spinal cord injury trial passes safety review
Seeing is believing: how some scientists – including two funded by CIRM – are working to help the blind see
“A pale hue”. For most of us that is a simple description, an observation about color. For Kristin Macdonald it’s a glimpse of the future. In some ways it’s a miracle. Kristin lost her sight to retinitis pigmentosa (RP). For many years she was virtually blind. But now, thanks to a clinical trial funded by … Continue reading Seeing is believing: how some scientists – including two funded by CIRM – are working to help the blind see
How many stem cell trials will it take to get a cure?
When I think about how many clinical trials it will take before a stem cell therapy is available to patients, I’m reminded of the decades old Tootsie Pop commercial where a kid asks a series of talking animals, “How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” … Continue reading How many stem cell trials will it take to get a cure?
New approach could help turn back the clock and reverse damage for stroke patients
Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the US. Every year almost 800,000 people suffer from a stroke. The impact on their lives, and the lives of those around them can be devastating. Right now the only treatment approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tissue plasminogen activator or … Continue reading New approach could help turn back the clock and reverse damage for stroke patients
A look back at the last year – but with our eyes firmly on the future
Better. With that single word Randy Mills, our President and CEO, starts and ends his letter in our 2015 Annual Report and lays out the simple principle that guides the way we work at CIRM. Better. But better what? “Better infrastructure to translate early stage ideas into groundbreaking clinical trials. Better regulatory practices to advance … Continue reading A look back at the last year – but with our eyes firmly on the future
Fujifilm is Expanding Its Focus to Regenerative Medicine
Fujifilm began as a photography company, but today is a well-known multinational imaging and information technology corporation. More recently, it’s expanded its focus (pun intended) on developing innovative technologies in the healthcare and regenerative medicine space. The news that Fujifilm was expanding into regenerative medicine was surprising to some given the company’s expertise in areas … Continue reading Fujifilm is Expanding Its Focus to Regenerative Medicine
Out of the mouths, or in this case hearts, of babes comes a hopeful therapy for heart attack patients
Lessons learned from babies with heart failure could now help adults Inspiration can sometimes come from the most unexpected of places. For English researcher Stephen Westaby it came from seeing babies who had heart attacks bounce back and recover. It led Westaby to a new line of research that could offer hope to people who … Continue reading Out of the mouths, or in this case hearts, of babes comes a hopeful therapy for heart attack patients
The Stem Cellar 