Earlier this year we wrote about the promising results of a phase 1 clinical trial aimed at replacing the deteriorating cells in the retinas of people suffering from age-related macular degeneration- one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide for people over 50. Now there’s even more good news! Highlighted in a news story on … Continue reading Stem cell-derived retinal patch continues to show promising results two years post-implantation
UC Santa Barbara
Creating a diverse group of future scientists
Students in CIRM's Bridges program showing posters of their work If you have read the headlines lately, you’ll know that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on the shipping industry. Container vessels are forced to sit out at anchor for a week or more because there just aren’t enough dock workers to unload … Continue reading Creating a diverse group of future scientists
CIRM-funded research aims to create a platform to test therapies for AMD
People with late stage age-related macular degeneration lose their central vision. So an image like the one on the left might appear to them as shown on the right. Credit: University of California - Santa Barbara Our vision is one of the most important senses that we use in our everyday lives. Whether its to … Continue reading CIRM-funded research aims to create a platform to test therapies for AMD
Why having a wrinkled brain is a good thing
We normally associate wrinkles with aging, such as wrinkled skin. But there’s one organ that is wrinkled right from the time we are born. It’s our brain. And new research shows those wrinkles are not a sign of age but are, in fact, a sign of just how large and complex our brains are. The … Continue reading Why having a wrinkled brain is a good thing
Seeing is believing: how some scientists – including two funded by CIRM – are working to help the blind see
“A pale hue”. For most of us that is a simple description, an observation about color. For Kristin Macdonald it’s a glimpse of the future. In some ways it’s a miracle. Kristin lost her sight to retinitis pigmentosa (RP). For many years she was virtually blind. But now, thanks to a clinical trial funded by … Continue reading Seeing is believing: how some scientists – including two funded by CIRM – are working to help the blind see