CIRM-Funded Study Helping Babies Battle a Deadly Immune Disorder Gets Boost from FDA

Hataalii Begay, age 4, first child treated with UCSF gene therapy for Artemis-SCID THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST When Hataalii Begay was born in a remote part of the Navajo nation he was diagnosed with a rare, usually fatal condition. Today, thanks to a therapy developed at UCSF and funded by CIRM, … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Study Helping Babies Battle a Deadly Immune Disorder Gets Boost from FDA

Board Funds Fifteen Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy Programs Across California and New Sickle Cell Disease Trial

Yesterday the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $8.39 million to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to fund a clinical trial for sickle cell disease (SCD).  An additional $51.08 million was awarded to fifteen community colleges and universities across California to fund undergraduate and master’s level programs that … Continue reading Board Funds Fifteen Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy Programs Across California and New Sickle Cell Disease Trial

Three UC’s Join Forces to Launch CRISPR Clinical Trial Targeting Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle shaped red blood cells The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in collaboration with UC Berkeley (UCB) and UC Los Angeles (UCLA), have been given permission by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to launch a first-in-human clinical trial using CRISPR technology as a gene-editing technique to cure Sickle Cell Disease. This research … Continue reading Three UC’s Join Forces to Launch CRISPR Clinical Trial Targeting Sickle Cell Disease

Saying farewell to an old friend

There are some people who, when you think of them, always bring a smile to your face. Dr. Bert Lubin was one of those people. Sadly, we lost Bert to brain cancer two days ago. But the impact he had, not just as an advocate for stem cell research but as a pioneer in sickle … Continue reading Saying farewell to an old friend

Living proof science can find a cure

Like many kids, let’s face it, many adults too, Ronav “Ronnie” Kashyap is getting a little bored stuck inside all day during the coronavirus pandemic. This video, shot by his dad Pawash, shows Ronnie trying to amuse himself by pretending to be hard at work. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_BSQaonFXb/ It’s a lovely moment. It’s also a moment that … Continue reading Living proof science can find a cure

CIRM’s Alpha Stem Cell Clinics Given High Profile Role in Clinical Trials Network

Sue and Bill Gross Hall Photo by Hoang Xuan Pham/ UC Irvine There are a growing number of predatory clinics in California and around the US, offering unproven stem cell therapies. For patients seeking a legitimate therapy it can often be hard finding a reliable clinic, one offering treatments based on the rigorous science required … Continue reading CIRM’s Alpha Stem Cell Clinics Given High Profile Role in Clinical Trials Network

One family’s fight to save their son’s life, and how stem cells made it possible

CIRM's mission is very simple: to accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. Anne Klein's son, Everett, was a poster boy for that statement. Born with a fatal immune disorder Everett faced a bleak future. But Anne and husband Brian were not about to give up. The following story is one Anne … Continue reading One family’s fight to save their son’s life, and how stem cells made it possible

CIRM & NHLBI Create Landmark Agreement on Curing Sickle Cell Disease

CIRM Board approves first program eligible for co-funding under the agreement Adrienne Shapiro, co-founder of Axis Advocacy, with her daughter Marissa Cors, who has Sickle Cell Disease. Sickle Cell disease (SCD) is a painful, life-threatening blood disorder that affects around 100,000 people, mostly African Americans, in the US. Even with optimal medical care, SCD shortens … Continue reading CIRM & NHLBI Create Landmark Agreement on Curing Sickle Cell Disease

It’s not goodbye to Dr. Bert Lubin, it’s au revoir

Dr. Bert Lubin has been a fixture at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland long before it was even called that. When he started there 43 years ago it was just a small community hospital and through his commitment to helping those in need he has helped build it into a remarkable institution. Over the years … Continue reading It’s not goodbye to Dr. Bert Lubin, it’s au revoir

Stem Cell Agency Board Approves 50th Clinical Trial

May 4th, 2011 marked a landmark moment for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). On that day the Stem Cell Agency’s Board voted to invest in its first ever clinical trial, which was also the first clinical trial to use cells derived from embryonic stem cells. Today the Stem Cell Agency reached another landmark, … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Approves 50th Clinical Trial