CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Rare Childhood Disease

Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) approved a grant of almost $12 million to Dr. Stephanie Cherqui at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to conduct a clinical trial for treatment of cystinosis. This award brings the total number of CIRM funded clinical trials to 55.  Cystinosis is … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Rare Childhood Disease

CIRM Board Approves Funding for New Clinical Trials in Solid Tumors and Pediatric Disease

Dr. Theodore Nowicki, physician in the division of pediatric hematology/oncology at UCLA. Photo courtesy of Milo Mitchell/UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center The governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded two grants totaling $11.15 million to carry out two new clinical trials.  These latest additions bring the total number of CIRM funded … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves Funding for New Clinical Trials in Solid Tumors and Pediatric Disease

Promising start to CIRM-funded trial for life-threatening blood disorder

Aristotle At CIRM we are always happy to highlight success stories, particularly when they involve research we are funding. But we are also mindful of the need not to overstate a finding. To quote the Greek philosopher Aristotle (who doesn’t often make an appearance on this blog), “one swallow does not a summer make”. In … Continue reading Promising start to CIRM-funded trial for life-threatening blood disorder

Gene therapy gives patient a cure and a new lease on life

Brenden Whittaker (left), of Ohio, is a patient born with a rare genetic immune disease who was treated at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in a CIRM funded gene therapy trial. Dr. David Williams (on right) is Brenden's treating physician.Photo courtesy of Rose Lincoln - Harvard Staff Photographer Pursuing an education can … Continue reading Gene therapy gives patient a cure and a new lease on life

Gene therapy and blood stem cells cure sickle cell disease patients

Sickle-shaped blood cells. The cells become lodged in blood vessels, causing strokes or excruciating pain as blood stops flowing. Photo courtesy of Omikron/Science Source Blood is the lifeline of the body. The continuous, unimpeded circulation of blood maintains oxygen flow throughout the body and enables us to carry out our everyday activities. Unfortunately, there are … Continue reading Gene therapy and blood stem cells cure sickle cell disease patients

Stem Cell Round: Improving memory, building up “good” fat, nanomedicine

Stem Cell Photo of the Week In honor of brain awareness week, our featured stem cell photo is of the brain! Scientists at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Stem Cell Institute identified a genetic switch that could potentially improve memory during aging and symptoms of PTSD. Shown in this picture are dentate gyrus cells … Continue reading Stem Cell Round: Improving memory, building up “good” fat, nanomedicine

Recap of the 2018 Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Cell and Gene Therapy State of the Industry

What happened in the Cell and Gene Therapy sector in 2017, and what should we be looking out for in 2018? Over 500 executives, investors, scientists and patient advocates gathered together yesterday to find out at the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) State of the Industry Briefing in San Francisco, California. ARM Chairman, Robert Preti, … Continue reading Recap of the 2018 Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Cell and Gene Therapy State of the Industry

Bye Bye bubble baby disease: promising results from stem cell gene therapy trial for SCID

You don’t need to analyze any data to know for yourself that Evangelina Vaccaro’s experimental stem cell therapy has cured her of a devastating, often fatal disease of the immune system. All you have to do is look at a photo or video of her to see that she’s now a happy, healthy 5-year-old with a … Continue reading Bye Bye bubble baby disease: promising results from stem cell gene therapy trial for SCID

Stem cell and gene therapy research gets a good report card from industry leader

The state of the regenerative medicine field is strong and getting stronger. That was the bottom line verdict at the 2017 Cell and Gene Therapies State of the Industry briefing in San Francisco. The briefing, an annual update on the field presented by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), gave a “by the numbers” look … Continue reading Stem cell and gene therapy research gets a good report card from industry leader

Key Steps Along the Way To Finding Treatments for HIV on World AIDS Day

Today, December 1st,  is World AIDS Day. It's a day to acknowledge the progress that is being made in HIV prevention and treatment around the world but also to renew our commitment to a future free of HIV. This year's theme is Leadership. Commitment. Impact.  At CIRM we are funding a number of projects focused … Continue reading Key Steps Along the Way To Finding Treatments for HIV on World AIDS Day