Logan Lacy, a child with AADC Deficiency: Photo courtesy Chambersburg Public Opinion Tomorrow, the last day in February, is Rare Disease Day. It’s a day dedicated to raising awareness about rare diseases and the impact they have on patients and their families. But the truth is rare diseases are not so rare. There are around … Continue reading How developing a treatment for a rare disease could lead to therapies for other, not-so-rare conditions
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The Top CIRM Blogs of 2019
This year the most widely read blog was actually one we wrote back in 2018. It’s the transcript of a Facebook Live: “Ask the Stem Cell Team” event about strokes and stroke recovery. Because stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability in the US it’s probably no surprise this blog has lasting … Continue reading The Top CIRM Blogs of 2019
The Most Important Gift of All
Photo courtesy American Hospital Association There are many players who have a key role in helping make a stem cell therapy work. The scientists who develop the therapy, the medical team who deliver it and funders like CIRM who provide the money to make this all happen. But vital as they are, in some therapies … Continue reading The Most Important Gift of All
Rare Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, and Heart Function: Breakthroughs for Three CIRM-Funded Studies
This past week, there has been a lot of mention of CIRM funded studies that really highlight the importance of the work we support and the different disease areas we make an impact on. This includes important research related to rare disease, Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), and heart function. Below is a summary of the … Continue reading Rare Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, and Heart Function: Breakthroughs for Three CIRM-Funded Studies
Moving a great idea targeting diabetes out of the lab and into a company
Tejal Desai in her lab at UCSF: Photo courtesy Todd Dubnicoff It’s always gratifying to see research you have helped support go from being an intriguing idea to something with promise to a product that is now the focus of a company. It’s all the more gratifying if the product in question might one day … Continue reading Moving a great idea targeting diabetes out of the lab and into a company
Getting the inside scoop on the stem cell agency
There’s a wonderful moment at the end of the movie The Candidate (starring Robert Redford, 87% approval on Rotten Tomatoes!) about a modern political campaign for a US Senate seat. Redford (spoiler alert) plays a come-from-behind candidate and at the end when he wins he turns to his campaign manager and says “Now what?”. I … Continue reading Getting the inside scoop on the stem cell agency
Stem Cell Agency Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Type 1 Diabetes
Dr. Peter Stock at the capitol in Sacramento in May 2016. Photo courtesy of Steve German. Today the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded $11.08 Million to Dr. Peter Stock at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) to conduct a clinical trial for treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Approves New Clinical Trial for Type 1 Diabetes
CIRM-funded therapy helps “bubble babies” lead a normal life
Ja'Ceon Golden; 'cured" of SCID At CIRM we are very cautious about using the “c” word. Saying someone has been “cured” is a powerful statement but one that loses its meaning when over used or used inappropriately. However, in the case of a new study from U.C. San Francisco and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital … Continue reading CIRM-funded therapy helps “bubble babies” lead a normal life
200 years later, the search for a cure for Parkinson’s continues
On the surface, actor Michael J. Fox, singer Neil Diamond, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson and Scottish comedian Billy Connolly would appear to have little in common. Except for one thing. They all have Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Their celebrity status has helped raise public awareness about the condition, but studies show that awareness doesn’t amount … Continue reading 200 years later, the search for a cure for Parkinson’s continues
Mending Stem Cells: The Past, Present & Future of Regenerative Medicine
UCSF's Mission Bay Campus For years we have talked about the “promise” and the “potential” of stem cells to cure patients. But more and more we are seeing firsthand how stem cells can change a patient’s life, even saving it in some cases. That’s the theme of the 4th Annual CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinics … Continue reading Mending Stem Cells: The Past, Present & Future of Regenerative Medicine
The Stem Cellar 