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

CIRM-Funded Researchers Develop Chimeric “Mighty Mouse” Model to Study Alzheimer’s Disease

Dr. Mathew Blurton-Jones, leader of team that developed the chimeric "Mighty Mouse" model at the University of California, Irvine In ancient Greek mythology, a Chimera was a creature that was usually depicted as a lion with an additional goat head and a serpent for a tail. Due to the Chimera's animal hybrid nature, the term … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Researchers Develop Chimeric “Mighty Mouse” Model to Study Alzheimer’s Disease

CIRM-funded research is helping unlock the secrets behind “chemo brain”

Every year millions of Americans undergo chemotherapy. The goal of the treatment is to destroy cancer, but along the way more than half of the people treated lose something else. They suffer from something called “chemo brain” which causes problems with thinking and memory. In some cases it can be temporary, lasting a few months. … Continue reading CIRM-funded research is helping unlock the secrets behind “chemo brain”

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: brains, brains and more brains!

This week we bring you three separate stories about the brain. Two are exciting new advances that use stem cells to understand the brain and the third is plain creepy. Bioengineering better brains. Lab grown mini-brains got an upgrade thanks to a study published this week in Nature Biotechnology. Mini-brains are tiny 3D organs that … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: brains, brains and more brains!

Alzheimer’s and the Inflamed Brain: Their Links Run Deeper than Thought

Given that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a brain disorder and the leading cause of dementia, it seems logical to assume that some sort of breakdown in the connections of the brain’s nerve cells is mostly to blame. But based on an increasing volume of research, it turns out that our immune system is also closely … Continue reading Alzheimer’s and the Inflamed Brain: Their Links Run Deeper than Thought

CIRM Creativity Student Hanan Sinada’s ‘Extraordinary’ Journey as a Budding Scientist

This summer we’re sponsoring high school interns in stem cell labs throughout California as part of our annual Creativity Program. We asked those students to share their experiences through blog posts and videos. Today, we hear from Hanan Sinada, who has been busy at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. Extraordinary. That is the word … Continue reading CIRM Creativity Student Hanan Sinada’s ‘Extraordinary’ Journey as a Budding Scientist