THIS BLOT IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY A National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases clinical trial admissions coordinator collects information from a volunteer to create a medical record. Credit: NIAID Alzheimer’s research has been in the news a lot lately, and not for the right reasons. The controversial decision by the … Continue reading Lack of diversity impacts research into Alzheimer’s and dementia
Kidney disease
Medeor Therapeutics Completes Enrollment in CIRM-Funded Clinical Trial for Kidney Transplant Patients
A CIRM-funded clinical trial to help kidney transplant patients avoid the need for anti-rejection or immunosuppressive medications has completed enrollment and transplantation of all patients. Medeor Therapeutics’ MDR-101 Phase 3 multi-center clinical trial involved 30 patients; 20 of them were treated with MDR-101, and 10 control subjects were given standard care. CIRM awarded Medeor, based … Continue reading Medeor Therapeutics Completes Enrollment in CIRM-Funded Clinical Trial for Kidney Transplant Patients
CIRM-funded kidney transplant procedure eyeing faster approval
Kidney transplant surgery. Medeor Therapeutics, which is running a CIRM-funded clinical trial to help people getting kidney transplants, just got some really good news. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just granted their product Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation. That’s a big deal because it means they may be able to apply … Continue reading CIRM-funded kidney transplant procedure eyeing faster approval
Two rare diseases, two pieces of good news
Dr. Stephanie Cherqui Last week saw a flurry of really encouraging reports from projects that CIRM has supported. We blogged about two of them last Wednesday, but here’s another two programs showing promising results. UC San Diego researcher Dr. Stephanie Cherqui is running a CIRM-funded clinical trial for cystinosis. This is a condition where patients … Continue reading Two rare diseases, two pieces of good news
Huge honor, hugely deserved for CIRM-funded stem cell researcher
Dr. Andy McMahon: Photo courtesy USC Andy McMahon is one of the most understated, humble and low-key people you are ever likely to meet. He’s also one of the smartest. And he has a collection of titles to prove it. He is the W.M. Keck Provost and University Professor in USC’s departments of Stem Cell … Continue reading Huge honor, hugely deserved for CIRM-funded stem cell researcher
The Most Important Gift of All
Photo courtesy American Hospital Association There are many players who have a key role in helping make a stem cell therapy work. The scientists who develop the therapy, the medical team who deliver it and funders like CIRM who provide the money to make this all happen. But vital as they are, in some therapies … Continue reading The Most Important Gift of All
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
The most popular Stem Cellar posts of 2018
You never know when you write something if people are going to read it. Sometimes you wonder if anyone is going to read it. So, it’s always fun, and educational, to look back at the end of the year and see which pieces got the most eyeballs. It isn’t always the ones you think will … Continue reading The most popular Stem Cellar posts of 2018
CIRM-funded medical research and development company does $150M deal to improve care for dialysis patients
Nearly half a million Americans with kidney disease are on dialysis, so it’s not surprising the CIRM Board had no hesitation, back in July 2016, in funding a program to make it easier and safer to get that life-saving therapy. That's why it’s gratifying to now hear that Humacyte, the company behind this new dialysis … Continue reading CIRM-funded medical research and development company does $150M deal to improve care for dialysis patients
Stem cell study holds out promise for kidney disease
Kidney failure is the Rodney Dangerfield of diseases, it really doesn’t get the respect it deserves. An estimated 660,000 Americans suffer from kidney failure and around 47,000 people die from it every year. That’s more than die from breast or prostate cancer. But now a new study has identified a promising stem cell candidate that … Continue reading Stem cell study holds out promise for kidney disease