In celebration of CIRM’s 20th anniversary, we have been reflecting on some of the early projects we supported and their outcomes. This blog is a little different, because it also marks the end of a project. Stem cell lines In 2013 CIRM announced a $32 million project to create a repository of stem cell lines … Continue reading 20 years of CIRM: After spurring new research, CIRM’s iPSC repository closes
iPSCs
How Patient-Derived Cells Are Changing ALS Research
Research Investigator Julia Kaye, PhD, stands for a portrait in a lab at Gladstone Institutes. Photo courtesy of Gladstone Institutes. Before there can be any therapies for disease, scientists need to understand what goes wrong in the first place. Are cells lost that could be replaced? Is there too much or too little of a … Continue reading How Patient-Derived Cells Are Changing ALS Research
The present and future of regenerative medicine
Tan Ieng Huang came to the U.S. from China for high school and is a SPARK student at CIRM. During her internship at UC San Francisco, she worked in Dr. Arnold Kriegstein’s lab. He is the founding director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF. Not … Continue reading The present and future of regenerative medicine
Stem cells help researchers create genetic blueprint for glaucoma
Scientists are using stem cells to create a detailed genetic blueprint of glaucoma, offering a powerful new way to study and target the disease. Leading cause of blindness Glaucoma is the world’s leading cause of irreversible blindness. Current treatments only slow its progression, and researchers have long lacked safe ways to study the retinal ganglion … Continue reading Stem cells help researchers create genetic blueprint for glaucoma
Replacement brain cells offer hope for Parkinson’s treatment
A colony of iPSCs from a Parkinson's patient (left) and dopaminergic neurons made from these iPSCs (right) to model PD. (Image credit: Jeanne Loring) A new study that used adult blood stem cells to create replacement brain nerve cells appears to help rats with Parkinson’s. In Parkinson’s, the disease attacks brain nerve cells that produce … Continue reading Replacement brain cells offer hope for Parkinson’s treatment
Smoking marijuana could be bad for your heart, but there is an unusual remedy
Smoking medical marijuana: Photo courtesy Elsa Olofsson Millions of Americans use marijuana for medical reasons, including easing anxiety or reducing side effects of cancer treatment. Millions more use it recreationally, saying it helps them relax. A new study now reports that regular marijuana smokers may increase their risk of heart disease and heart attack. Benefits … Continue reading Smoking marijuana could be bad for your heart, but there is an unusual remedy
Turning back the clock to make old skin cells young again
Dr. Diljeet Gill, photo courtesy Babraham Institute, Cambridge UK Sometimes, when I give public presentations, people ask whether stem cells are good for the face. I always say that if stem cells could help improve people’s faces, I would look like this. It’s a line that gets a laugh, but it’s also true. The ads … Continue reading Turning back the clock to make old skin cells young again
Scientists Create a First-of-Its-Kind Heart and Gut Organoid
Gladstone Senior Investigator Todd McDevitt, PhD said this first-of-its-kind organoid could serve as a new tool for laboratory research and improve our understanding of how developing organs and tissues cooperate and instruct each other.
COVID is a real pain in the ear
The more we learn about COVID-19, the more concerning its effects become. The global death toll has surpassed five million. Survivors can also experience long-term health problems. COVID-19 can affect the lungs, heart, and brain. Researchers now find that it can also affect the ears. The virus may cause hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness. Viral … Continue reading COVID is a real pain in the ear
Researchers Develop Long-Lived “Mini-Brains” to Study ALS and Dementia
MRI section of a brain affected by ALS with the front section of the brain highlighted Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The disease progressively robs people of movement, independence, and, ultimately, life. For some patients, ALS also overlaps with frontotemporal dementia … Continue reading Researchers Develop Long-Lived “Mini-Brains” to Study ALS and Dementia