Dr. Derrick Rossi might be the most famous man whose name you don’t recognize. Dr. Rossi is the co-founder of Moderna. Yes, that Moderna. The COVID-19 vaccine Moderna. The vaccine that in clinical trials proved to be around 95 percent effective against the coronavirus. Dr. Rossi also has another claim to fame. He is a … Continue reading How a CIRM scholar helped create a life-saving COVID vaccine
Irv Weissman
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
Big time validation for early support
It’s not every day that a company and a concept that you helped support from the very beginning gets snapped up for $4.9 billion. But that’s what is happening with Forty Seven Inc. and their anti-cancer therapies. Gilead, another California company by the way, has announced it is buying Forty Seven Inc. for almost $5 … Continue reading Big time validation for early support
Saying goodbye to a good friend and a stem cell pioneer: Karl Trede
Sometimes even courage and determination are not enough. Karl Trede had courage and determination in droves as he fought a 12 year battle against cancer. He recently lost that battle. But he remains an inspiration for all who knew him. I got to know Karl for our 2016 Annual Report. Karl had been diagnosed with … Continue reading Saying goodbye to a good friend and a stem cell pioneer: Karl Trede
The story behind the book about the Stem Cell Agency
WHY I WROTE “CALIFORNIA CURES” By Don C. Reed It was Wednesday, June 13th, 2018, the launch day for my new book, “CALIFORNIA CURES: How the California Stem Cell Research Program is Fighting Your Incurable Disease!” As I stood in front of the audience of scientists, CIRM staff members, patient advocates, I thought to myself, … Continue reading The story behind the book about the Stem Cell Agency
Seeing is believing. Proof a CIRM-funded therapy is making a difference
You have almost certainly never heard of Thelma, or met her, or know anything about her. She’s a lady living in England who, if it wasn’t for a CIRM-funded therapy, might not be living at all. She’s proof that what we do, is helping people. Thelma is featured in a video about a treatment for … Continue reading Seeing is believing. Proof a CIRM-funded therapy is making a difference
Signal in Cancer Cells Points to New Immunotherapies
People usually mention the immune system when talking about colds or flu. Immune cells do fight viruses and bacteria, but they also destroy abnormal cancer cells inside the body. “Don’t Eat Me” Signal 101 A white blood cell called a macrophage is part of the innate immune system. It patrols tissues and engulfs infected and … Continue reading Signal in Cancer Cells Points to New Immunotherapies
Curing the Incurable through Definitive Medicine
“Curing the Incurable”. That was the theme for the first annual Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine (CDCM) Symposium held last week at Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California. The CDCM is a joint initiative amongst Stanford Healthcare, Stanford Children’s Health and the Stanford School of Medicine. Its mission is to foster an environment that … Continue reading Curing the Incurable through Definitive Medicine
The Spanish Inquisition and a tale of two stem cell agencies
Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition sketch: Photo courtesy Daily Mail UK It’s not often an article on stem cell research brings the old, but still much loved, British comedy series Monty Python into the discussion but a new study in the journal Cell Stem Cell does just that, comparing the impact of CIRM and the UK’s … Continue reading The Spanish Inquisition and a tale of two stem cell agencies