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
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Tips on how to be a great Patient Advocate from three of the best Advocates around
No one sets out to be a Patient Advocate. It’s something that you become because of something that happens to you. Usually it’s because you, or a loved one or a friend, becomes ill and you want to help find a treatment. Whatever the reason, it is the start of a journey that often throws … Continue reading Tips on how to be a great Patient Advocate from three of the best Advocates around
Rare Disease Gets Big Boost from California’s Stem Cell Agency
UC Irvine's Dr. Leslie Thompson and patient advocate Frances Saldana after the CIRM Board vote to approve funding for Huntington's disease If you were looking for a poster child for an unmet medical need Huntington’s disease (HD) would be high on the list. It’s a devastating disease that attacks the brain, steadily destroying the ability … Continue reading Rare Disease Gets Big Boost from California’s Stem Cell Agency
Media shine a spotlight on dodgy stem cell clinics
A doctor collects fat from a patient's back as part of an experimental stem cell procedure in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Dec. 5, 2014. (Raquel Maria Dillon / Associated Press) For several years now, we have been trying to raise awareness about the risks posed by clinics offering unproven or unapproved stem cell therapies. At … Continue reading Media shine a spotlight on dodgy stem cell clinics
Peddling hope for thousands of dollars – a TV expose on one clinic offering unproven stem cell therapies
You may have seen an ad in your local paper, promoting a seminar on the “wonders” of stem cell therapies. They are becoming increasingly common all around the US. The ads talk about the ability of stem cells to heal everything from arthritis to autism. But what they don’t talk about is that they are … Continue reading Peddling hope for thousands of dollars – a TV expose on one clinic offering unproven stem cell therapies
Stories that caught our eye: Is a Texas law opening up access to stem cell treatments working? Another CIRM-funded company gets good news from the FDA.
In 2017 Texas passed a sweeping new law, HB 810, which allowed medical clinics to provide “investigational stem cell treatments to patients with certain severe chronic diseases or terminal illnesses.” Those in favor of the law argued that patients battling life-threatening or life-changing diseases should have the right to try stem cell therapies that were … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: Is a Texas law opening up access to stem cell treatments working? Another CIRM-funded company gets good news from the FDA.
California’s Stem Cell Agency Accelerates Treatments to Patients
The following article is an Op Ed that appeared in today's print version of the San Francisco Chronicle Biotechnology was born in California in the 1970s based on the discovery out of one of its universities and California is responsible for an industry that has impacted the lives of billions of people worldwide. In 2004, … Continue reading California’s Stem Cell Agency Accelerates Treatments to Patients
Has Regenerative Medicine Come of Age?
For the past few years the Signals blog site - which offers an insiders’ perspectives on the world of regenerative medicine and stem cell research - has hosted what it calls a "Blog Carnival". This is an event where bloggers from across the stem cell field are invited to submit a piece based on a … Continue reading Has Regenerative Medicine Come of Age?
CIRM-supported study shows promise in fighting acute myeloid leukemia
For years chemotherapy has been a mainstay in the war against cancer. While it can be very effective it can also come with some nasty side effects. Since chemo works by killing rapidly growing cells, it not only hits the cancer cells, but can also hit other rapidly growing cells too, including those in our … Continue reading CIRM-supported study shows promise in fighting acute myeloid leukemia
Research Targeting Prostate Cancer Gets Almost $4 Million Support from CIRM
A program hoping to supercharge a patient’s own immune system cells to attack and kill a treatment resistant form of prostate cancer was today awarded $3.99 million by the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) In the U.S., prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men. … Continue reading Research Targeting Prostate Cancer Gets Almost $4 Million Support from CIRM
The Stem Cellar 