THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses a person's own immune system to fight cancer. It comes in a variety of forms including targeted antibodies, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell therapies. While immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment of aggressive cancers in recent decades, they must be created … Continue reading One step closer to making ‘off-the-shelf’ immune cell therapy for cancer a reality
stem cell therapy
Stem cell therapy for diabetic foot ulcers shows promise in new study
For individuals with diabetes, the body's inability to properly control blood sugar levels can lead to a wide range of other problems as time passes. One major issue is a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), an open sore or wound that is commonly located on the bottom of the foot and caused by poor blood circulation … Continue reading Stem cell therapy for diabetic foot ulcers shows promise in new study
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
Full Steam Ahead: First Patient is Dosed in Expanded CIRM Spinal Cord Injury Trial
Today we bring you more good news about a CIRM-funded clinical trial for spinal cord injury that’s received a lot of attention lately in the news. Asterias Biotherapeutics has treated its first patient in an expanded patient population of spinal cord injury patients who suffer from cervical, or neck, injuries. In late August, Asterias reported … Continue reading Full Steam Ahead: First Patient is Dosed in Expanded CIRM Spinal Cord Injury Trial
CIRM-funded study to make pluripotent stem cells safe
Clinicians use stem cell treatments in clinical trials for eye disease, spinal cord injury, and type 1 diabetes. Their goal is to transplant stem cells or their derivatives to replace damaged tissue, restore function, and cure patients. This aim is to do this while keeping treatments safe and free of harmful side effects. Safety is … Continue reading CIRM-funded study to make pluripotent stem cells safe
From Science Fiction to Science Fact: Gene Editing May Make Personalized Therapies for Blindness
Have you seen the movie Elysium? It’s a 2013 futuristic science fiction film starring one of my favorite actors Matt Damon. The plot centers on the economic, social and political disparities between two very different worlds: one, an overpopulated earth where people are poor, starving, and have little access to technology or medical care, the … Continue reading From Science Fiction to Science Fact: Gene Editing May Make Personalized Therapies for Blindness
New Stem Cell Treatment for ALS May Slow Disease Progression
Exciting news was published this week that will give patients suffering from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, something to cheer about. The journal JAMA Neurology reported that a new stem cell treatment was successful in slowing disease progression in a small group of ALS patients in a Phase 2 clinical trial. This is … Continue reading New Stem Cell Treatment for ALS May Slow Disease Progression
Have Scientists Found a Stem Cell-lution to Thyroid Disorders?
Have you thanked your thyroid today? If not, you should because your thyroid is essential for many of life’s daily activities and processes that you probably take for granted. You can thank your thyroid for things like regulating your body temperature and appetite, and keeping you energetic, slim, and focused. That’s because these small glands … Continue reading Have Scientists Found a Stem Cell-lution to Thyroid Disorders?
CIRM CAP Kickoff to New Clinical Trials
Alisha Bouge is the project manager for CIRM's Clinical Advisory Panels (CAPs) On the cusp of the official kickoff to football season, CIRM has had its own kickoff to celebrate. The first Clinical Advisory Panel (CAP) meeting took place on August 18, 2015 in Irvine, CA with Caladrius Bioscience, Inc. And just as every NFL … Continue reading CIRM CAP Kickoff to New Clinical Trials
Cell mate: the man who makes stem cells for clinical trials
When we announced that one of the researchers we fund - Dr. Henry Klassen at the University of California, Irvine - has begun his clinical trial to treat the vision-destroying disease retinitis pigmentosa, we celebrated the excitement felt by the researchers and the hope from people with the disease. But we missed out one group. … Continue reading Cell mate: the man who makes stem cells for clinical trials