Coronavirus particles, illustration. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out scientists scrambled to find existing medications that might help counter the life-threatening elements of the virus. One of the first medications that showed real promise was remdesivir. It’s an anti-viral drug that was originally developed to target novel, emerging viruses, viruses like COVID19. It was approved … Continue reading Retooling a COVID drug to boost its effectiveness
COVID-19
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
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears – we have a podcast for you.
It seems like everyone, including my dog Freddie, has a podcast these days. So now we do too. According to the Podcasthosting.org website there are some two million podcasts in the world. Make that two million and one. That’s because CIRM is launching its own podcast and doing it with one of the biggest names … Continue reading Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears – we have a podcast for you.
CIRM funding helps identify potential COVID-19 treatment
The steps of the virus growth cycle that can be targeted with therapies: The virus enters a host cell (1), the virus's genetic instructions are released, taking over cellular machinery (2), the virus is replicated within the cell (3) and copies of the virus exit the cell in search of new host cells to infect … Continue reading CIRM funding helps identify potential COVID-19 treatment
Going the extra mile to save a patient’s life
You can tell an awful lot about a company by the people it hires and the ability it gives them to do their job in an ethical, principled way. By that measure Rocket Pharma is a pretty darn cool company. Rocket Pharma is running a CIRM-funded clinical trial for Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), a rare … Continue reading Going the extra mile to save a patient’s life
Scientists look at how the lung and brain respond differently to SARS-CoV-2 infection
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers found approximately 10-fold higher SARS-CoV-2 infection (green) in lung organoids (left), compared to brain organoids (right). Image courtesy of UCSD Health Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic early last year, scientists all over the world are still trying to better understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. … Continue reading Scientists look at how the lung and brain respond differently to SARS-CoV-2 infection
Everything you wanted to know about COVID vaccines but never got a chance to ask
All this month we are using our blog and social media to highlight a new chapter in CIRM’s life, thanks to the voters approving Proposition 14. We are looking back at what we have done since we were created in 2004, and also looking forward to the future. Today we feature a rare treat, an … Continue reading Everything you wanted to know about COVID vaccines but never got a chance to ask
How a CIRM scholar helped create a life-saving COVID vaccine
Dr. Derrick Rossi might be the most famous man whose name you don’t recognize. Dr. Rossi is the co-founder of Moderna. Yes, that Moderna. The COVID-19 vaccine Moderna. The vaccine that in clinical trials proved to be around 95 percent effective against the coronavirus. Dr. Rossi also has another claim to fame. He is a … Continue reading How a CIRM scholar helped create a life-saving COVID vaccine
CIRM funded researchers discover link between Alzheimer’s gene and COVID-19
Dr. Yanhong Shi (left) and Dr. Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami (right) All this month we are using our blog and social media to highlight a new chapter in CIRM’s life, thanks to the voters approving Proposition 14. We are looking back at what we have done since we were created in 2004, and also looking forward to the … Continue reading CIRM funded researchers discover link between Alzheimer’s gene and COVID-19
Month of CIRM: Battling COVID-19
All this month we are using our blog and social media to highlight a new chapter in CIRM’s life, thanks to the people of California approving Proposition 14. We are looking back at what we have done since we were created in 2004, and also looking forward to the future. Dr. John Zaia, City of … Continue reading Month of CIRM: Battling COVID-19