During a game in 2018, Alex Smith suffered a compound fracture that broke both the tibia and fibula in his right leg. The gruesome injury aside, the former 49ers quarterback soon developed life-threatening necrotizing fasciitis — a rare bacterial infection — that resulted in sepsis and required him to undergo 17 surgeries. In a battle to save his … Continue reading Recovery from muscle loss injuries hindered by immune cell conflicts
Natural Killer cells
Driving Innovation While Addressing Health Disparities Among People of Color
Image courtesy of Science Photo Library One of the wonders of regenerative medicine is its broad applicability, which provides us with the opportunity to build upon existing knowledge and concepts. In the midst of a global pandemic, researchers have responded to the needs of patients severely afflicted with COVID-19 by repurposing existing therapies being developed … Continue reading Driving Innovation While Addressing Health Disparities Among People of Color
Therapy developed with CIRM award used in new clinical trial for COVID-19
Dr. Joshua Rhein, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the University of Minnesota Medical School's Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine Image Credit: University of Minnesota While doctors are still trying to better understand how to treat some of the most severe cases of COVID-19, researchers are looking at their current scientific "toolkit" to see if … Continue reading Therapy developed with CIRM award used in new clinical trial for COVID-19
CIRM Board Approves Third Clinical Trial for COVID-19
Dr. Xiaokui Zhang (left), Dr. Albert Wong (center), and Dr. Preet Chaudhary (right) Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $750,000 to Dr. Xiaokui Zhang at Celularity to conduct a clinical trial for the treatment of COVID-19. This brings the total number of CIRM clinical trials to 64, including … Continue reading CIRM Board Approves Third Clinical Trial for COVID-19
Super charging killer cells to fight leukemia
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a natural killer cell.Photo credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Racing car drivers are forever tinkering with their cars, trying to streamline them and soup up their engines because while fast is good, faster is better. Researchers do the same things with potential anti-cancer therapies, tinkering with them … Continue reading Super charging killer cells to fight leukemia
Stem Cell Agency Board Approves Three More Projects Targeting COVID-19
Dr. Jianhua Yu (left), Dr. Helen Blau (center), and Dr. Albert Wong (right) The COVID-19 virus targets many different parts of the body, often with deadly or life-threatening consequences. This past Friday the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) approved investments in three early-stage research programs taking different approaches to battling … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Approves Three More Projects Targeting COVID-19
Novel clinical trial for COVID-19 using immune cells
This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab. Image Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-Rocky Mountain Laboratories During this global pandemic, many scientists are pursuing various avenues for … Continue reading Novel clinical trial for COVID-19 using immune cells
An off-the-shelf cancer killer
iPS Cell: Photo from the lab of Kathrin Plath at UCLA One of the hottest areas in cancer research right now is the use of CAR-T treatments. These use the patient’s own re-engineered immune system cells to target and kill the tumor. But the thing that makes it so appealing – using the patient’s own … Continue reading An off-the-shelf cancer killer