Parkinson’s Disease and Stem Cells

Lila Collins, PhD A few weeks ago we held a Facebook Live "Ask the Stem Cell Team About Parkinson's Disease" event. As you can imagine we got lots of questions but, because of time constraints, only had time to answer a few. Thanks to my fabulous CIRM colleagues, Dr. Lila Collins and Dr. Kent Fitzgerald, … Continue reading Parkinson’s Disease and Stem Cells

A clear vision for the future

Dr. Henry Klassen and Dr. Jing Yang, founders of jCyte When you have worked with a group of people over many years the relationship becomes more than just a business venture, it becomes personal. That's certainly the case with jCyte, a company founded by Drs. Henry Klassen and Jing Yang, aimed at finding a cure … Continue reading A clear vision for the future

Treatment for heart failure shows promising results for COVID-19 patients

Dr. Linda Marbán To help with the coronavirus pandemic, many scientists are repurposing previously developed approaches or treatments to see if they can be used to treat patients with COVID-19. Capricor Therapeutics, lead by Dr. Linda Marbán, is using cardiosphere derived cells (CDCs), which are stem cells derived from heart tissue, to treat critically ill … Continue reading Treatment for heart failure shows promising results for COVID-19 patients

Two UCLA scientists receive CIRM funding for discovery research for COVID-19

Dr. Brigitte Gomperts (left) and Dr. Gay Crooks (right), UCLAImage Credit: UCLA Broad Stem Cell Center This past Friday, the CIRM Board approved funding for its first clinical study for COVID-19. In addition to this, the Board also approved two discovery stage research projects, which support promising new technologies that could be translated to enable … Continue reading Two UCLA scientists receive CIRM funding for discovery research for COVID-19

CIRM Board Expands COVID-19 Efforts

Coronavirus particles, illustration. Courtesy KTSDesign/Science Photo Library This past Friday, the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) expanded the eligibility criteria for COVID-19 related projects to develop new treatments against the virus.  Just two weeks ago, the Board approved $5 million in emergency funding for COVID-19 research. One major addition is allowing research related … Continue reading CIRM Board Expands COVID-19 Efforts

Cashing in on COVID-19

Coronavirus particles, illustration. Courtesy KTSDesign/Science Photo Library As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, one of the few bright spots is how many researchers are stepping up and trying to find new ways to tackle it, to treat it and hopefully even cure it. Unfortunately, there are also those who are simply trying to cash … Continue reading Cashing in on COVID-19

From bench to bedside – CIRM plays a vital role in accelerating science

Dr. Maria T. Millan, President & CEO of CIRM The field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine has exploded in the last few years with new approaches to treat a wide array of diseases. Although these therapies are quite promising, they face many challenges in trying to bring them from the laboratory and into … Continue reading From bench to bedside – CIRM plays a vital role in accelerating science

CIRM-funded treatment for Cystinosis receives orphan drug designation

Dr. Stephanie Cherqui, UC San Diego Orphan drug designation is a special status given by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for potential treatments of rare diseases that affect fewer than 200,000 in the U.S. This type of status can significantly help advance treatments for rare diseases by providing financial incentives in the form of … Continue reading CIRM-funded treatment for Cystinosis receives orphan drug designation

How developing a treatment for a rare disease could lead to therapies for other, not-so-rare conditions

Logan Lacy, a child with AADC Deficiency: Photo courtesy Chambersburg Public Opinion Tomorrow, the last day in February, is Rare Disease Day. It’s a day dedicated to raising awareness about rare diseases and the impact they have on patients and their families. But the truth is rare diseases are not so rare. There are around … Continue reading How developing a treatment for a rare disease could lead to therapies for other, not-so-rare conditions

Enabling the Best Choice for Patients: The Need for Effective Patient Navigation

Making sure patients get the treatment they need and not a "snake oil" substitute We are at a turning point in regenerative medicine as the first wave of treatments have obtained FDA approval. But at the same time as we see the advance of scientifically rigorous research and regulated products we are also witnessing the … Continue reading Enabling the Best Choice for Patients: The Need for Effective Patient Navigation