THIS BLOD IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY The second Wednesday in October is celebrated as Stem Cell Awareness Day. It's an event that CIRM has been part of since then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched it back in 2008 saying: ”The discoveries being made today in our Golden State will have a great … Continue reading Celebrating Stem Cell Awareness Day
Don Kohn
Celebrating a young life that almost wasn’t
Often on the Stem Cellar we feature CIRM-funded work that is helping advance the field, unlocking some of the secrets of stem cells and how best to use them to develop promising therapies. But every once in a while it’s good to remind ourselves that this work, while it may often seem slow, is already … Continue reading Celebrating a young life that almost wasn’t
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
An Open Letter to CIRM for World Sickle Cell Day
Nancy M. Rene Dear CIRM, World Sickle Cell Day is this Saturday June 19th. The goal of this day is to increase knowledge of the disease and understanding of the challenges faced. It is a day that I greet with very mixed feelings. I’m of course extremely grateful to CIRM for the time and money … Continue reading An Open Letter to CIRM for World Sickle Cell Day
New Study Shows CIRM-Supported Therapy Cures More than 95% of Children Born with a Fatal Immune Disorder
Dr. Donald B. Kohn; Photo courtesy UCLA A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that an experimental form of stem cell and gene therapy has cured 48 of 50 children born with a deadly condition called ADA-SCID. Children with ADA-SCID, (severe combined immunodeficiency due to adenosine deaminase deficiency) lack a key … Continue reading New Study Shows CIRM-Supported Therapy Cures More than 95% of Children Born with a Fatal Immune Disorder
Progress in the fight against Sickle Cell Disease
Marissa Cors, sickle cell disease patient advocate Last November Marissa Cors, a patient advocate in the fight against Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), told the Stem Cellar “A stem cell cure will end generations of guilt, suffering, pain and early death. It will give SCD families relief from the financial, emotional and spiritual burden of caring … Continue reading Progress in the fight against Sickle Cell Disease
CIRM funded trial for sickle cell disease gives patient a chance for a better future
Evie Junior is participating in a CIRM funded clinical trial for sickle cell disease that uses a stem cell gene therapy approach. Image credit: UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center For Evie Junior, personal health and fitness have always been a top priority. During his childhood, he was active and played football, basketball, and baseball … Continue reading CIRM funded trial for sickle cell disease gives patient a chance for a better future
Partners in health
From left to right: Heather Dahlenburg, staff research associate; Jan Nolta, director of the Stem Cell Program; Jeannine Logan White, advanced cell therapy project manager; Sheng Yang, graduate student, Bridges Program, Humboldt State University, October 18, 2019. (AJ Cheline/UC Davis) At CIRM we are modest enough to know that we can't do everything by ourselves. … Continue reading Partners in health
Charting a new course for stem cell research
What are the latest advances in stem cell research targeting cancer? Can stem cells help people battling COVID-19 or even help develop a vaccine to stop the virus? What are researchers and the scientific community doing to help address the unmet medical needs of underserved communities? Those are just a few of the topics being … Continue reading Charting a new course for stem cell research
Meet the people who are changing the future
Kristin MacDonald Every so often you hear a story and your first reaction is “oh, I have to share this with someone, anyone, everyone.” That’s what happened to me the other day. I was talking with Kristin MacDonald, an amazing woman, a fierce patient advocate and someone who took part in a CIRM-funded clinical trial … Continue reading Meet the people who are changing the future
The Stem Cellar 