CIRM funded stem cell therapy could one day help stroke and dementia patients

Image Description: Microscope images showing brain tissue that has been damaged by white matter stroke (left) and then repaired by the new glial cell therapy (right). Myelin (seen in red), is a substance that protects the connections between neurons and is lost due to white matter stroke. As seen at right, the glial cell therapy … Continue reading CIRM funded stem cell therapy could one day help stroke and dementia patients

Rare Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, and Heart Function: Breakthroughs for Three CIRM-Funded Studies

This past week, there has been a lot of mention of CIRM funded studies that really highlight the importance of the work we support and the different disease areas we make an impact on. This includes important research related to rare disease, Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), and heart function. Below is a summary of the … Continue reading Rare Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, and Heart Function: Breakthroughs for Three CIRM-Funded Studies

Old cells need not apply: how a stem cell’s age can impact potential treatments

Getting older is a normal, at times existential, part of life. The outward changes are abundant and noticeable: thinning of the hair, greying of the hair, and added lines to the face. There are also changes that happen that are not so abundantly clear in terms of outward appearance: slowing of healing time for bone … Continue reading Old cells need not apply: how a stem cell’s age can impact potential treatments

Adding the missing piece: “mini-brain” method now includes important cell type

Although studying brain cells as a single layer in petri dishes has led to countless ground-breaking discoveries in neurobiology, it’s pretty intuitive that a two-dimensional “lawn” of cells doesn’t fully represent what’s happening in our complex, three-dimensional brain. In the past few years, researchers have really upped their game with the development of brain organoids, … Continue reading Adding the missing piece: “mini-brain” method now includes important cell type

New Video: Spinal Cord Injury and a CIRM-Funded Stem Cell-Based Trial

Just 31 years old, Richard Lajara thought he was going to die. On September 9, 2011 he slipped on some rocks at a popular swimming hole and was swept down a waterfall headfirst into a shallow, rocky pool of water. Though he survived, the fall left him paralyzed from the waist down due to a … Continue reading New Video: Spinal Cord Injury and a CIRM-Funded Stem Cell-Based Trial