Photo credit: n-Lorem Like many other 15 year-olds, Connor Dalby loves music and the beach, but unlike most of his peers his life has been anything but ordinary. As an infant he struggled with sleep and persistent stomach issues. As time went on, his condition worsened. By eight months old he was experiencing seizures, sometimes … Continue reading How a Genetic Therapy Helped Connor
patients
Where Are They Now: Jake Javier
On the first day, of the 2024 CIRM Trainee Network Conference, Jake Javier took shared his experience as a clinical trial patient, as how he benefited from the innovative trial. The event done in partnership with the University of Southern California (USC) gave trainees from CIRM’s education and training programs an opportunity to engage with … Continue reading Where Are They Now: Jake Javier
Tackling sickle cell disease from within
Photo Credit: Jaquell Chandler Evie Junior was born with sickle cell disease, a life-threatening condition that affects around 100,000 Americans, most of them Black and Latino. People with sickle cell disease have blood cells that are shaped like a hook (or sickle) rather than smooth and round, which can create clogs, causing intense pain, organ … Continue reading Tackling sickle cell disease from within
CIRM Approves Money for a Patient Support Program
Hataalii Tiisyatonii Begay (HT) participated in a CIRM-funded clinical trial at UCSF for Artemis-SCID, a condition that can be life-threatening or fatal. Photo courtesy Barbara Ries / UCSF. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) supports cell and gene therapy research and educational programs to advance new treatments for people in the state. CIRM's commitment … Continue reading CIRM Approves Money for a Patient Support Program
Finding affordable cell and gene therapies
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is not alone in looking for ways to make cell and gene therapies more affordable and accessible. The Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) recently completed a year‑long effort to explore how to expand access to these treatments. IGI formed a task force of 30 experts to develop options. The … Continue reading Finding affordable cell and gene therapies
More accessible and affordable cell and gene therapies
Developing a new therapy: Photo courtesy UCLA There is no benefit in creating a miraculous new therapy that can cure people and save lives if only the super-rich can afford it. That’s why the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has made creating a roadmap to help make new treatments both available and affordable for … Continue reading More accessible and affordable cell and gene therapies
Remembering a stem cell pioneer in the fight against HIV/AIDS
Timothy Ray Brown. Photo courtesy Seattle Times Timothy Ray Brown, a man who was the first person to be cured of HIV, giving hope to millions of people around the world, died at his home in Palm Springs this week. He was just 54 years old. For years Brown was known simply as “the Berlin … Continue reading Remembering a stem cell pioneer in the fight against HIV/AIDS
Unproven “stem cell” therapy injuries are more common than we realized
Jaime Imitola, senior author of the paper and director of the Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center at UConn Health Here at CIRM we only fund clinical trials that meet the rigorous standards outlined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These requirements are not only necessary to properly evaluate how effective a potential treatment may be, … Continue reading Unproven “stem cell” therapy injuries are more common than we realized
Stem Cell Agency celebrates 50 clinical trials with patient #1
Yesterday the CIRM Board approved funding for our 50th clinical trial (you can read about that here) It was an historic moment for us and to celebrate we decided to go back in history and hear from the very first person to be treated in a CIRM-funded clinical trial. Rich Lajara was treated in the … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency celebrates 50 clinical trials with patient #1
Engaging the patient to create a culture of health citizenship
One of the buzz phrases in healthcare today is “patient engagement”. It seems that you can’t go to a medical or scientific conference without coming across a panel discussion on the topic. A recent Partnering For Cures* event in San Francisco was no exception. But here the conversation took on a very different tone, one … Continue reading Engaging the patient to create a culture of health citizenship