A CIRM-funded therapy for a deadly blood cancer gets approval for Phase 3 clinical trial

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Michael Wang, MD (right) of the Department of Lymphoma & Myeloma at MD Anderson Cancer Center will lead the Phase 3 clinical Oncternal Therapeutics, Inc. is celebrating an encouraging milestone at the start of the new year following a successful End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA.  Specifically, the FDA agreed on key … Continue reading A CIRM-funded therapy for a deadly blood cancer gets approval for Phase 3 clinical trial

Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers

THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Dr. Ezra Cohen, photo courtesy UCSD Hematologic malignancies are cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes and include different forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Current treatments can be effective, but in those patients that do not respond, there are few treatment options. Today, … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers

CIRM-funded trial for blood cancer releases promising new data

A CIRM-funded trial conducted by Oncternal Therapeutics in collaboration with UC San Diego released an interim clinical data update for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a type of blood cancer. The treatment being developed involves an antibody called cirmtuzumab (named after yours truly) being used with a cancer fighting drug called ibrutinib. The antibody … Continue reading CIRM-funded trial for blood cancer releases promising new data

Four CIRM Funded Trials Release Results at 2019 ASH Meeting

With more than 17,000 members from nearly 100 countries, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) is an organization composed of clinicians and scientists around the world working to conquer various blood diseases. Currently, they are having their 61st Annual ASH Meeting to highlight some of the exciting work going on in the field. Four of … Continue reading Four CIRM Funded Trials Release Results at 2019 ASH Meeting

Encouraging Progress for Two CIRM Supported Clinical Trials

This past Wednesday was Stem Cell Awareness Day, a day that is meant to remind us all of the importance of stem cell research and the potential it has to treat a wide variety of diseases. On this day, we also released an independent Economic Impact Report that showed how $10.7 Billion (yes, you read … Continue reading Encouraging Progress for Two CIRM Supported Clinical Trials

CIRM-funded clinical trial shows encouraging results for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia & mantle cell lymphoma

Illustration courtesy of Oncternal Therapeutics I often joke that my job here at CIRM is to be the official translator for the stem cell agency. I have to translate complex science into everyday English that people without a science background – that includes me – can understand. Think I’m joking? Try making sense of this. … Continue reading CIRM-funded clinical trial shows encouraging results for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia & mantle cell lymphoma

A cancer therapy developed at a CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic tests its legs against breast cancer

A Phase 1 clinical trial co-sponsored by CIRM and Oncternal Therapeutics, has started treating patients at UC San Diego (UCSD). The goal of the trial is to test the safety and anti-tumor activity of the Oncternal-developed drug, cirmtuzumab, in treating breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer to occur in women, regardless … Continue reading A cancer therapy developed at a CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic tests its legs against breast cancer