CIRM Funded Trial for Parkinson’s Treats First Patient

Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz Brain Neurotherapy Bio, Inc. (BNB) is pleased to announce the treatment of the first patient in its Parkinson’s gene therapy study.  The CIRM-funded study, led by Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz, is one of the 64 clinical trials funded by the California state agency to date. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that affects … Continue reading CIRM Funded Trial for Parkinson’s Treats First Patient

Rare Disease Gets Big Boost from California’s Stem Cell Agency

UC Irvine's Dr. Leslie Thompson and patient advocate Frances Saldana after the CIRM Board vote to approve funding for Huntington's disease If you were looking for a poster child for an unmet medical need Huntington’s disease (HD) would be high on the list. It’s a devastating disease that attacks the brain, steadily destroying the ability … Continue reading Rare Disease Gets Big Boost from California’s Stem Cell Agency

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

Da Mayor and the clinical trial that could help save his vision

Former San Francisco Mayor and California State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown is many things, but shy is not one of them. A profile of him in the San Francisco Chronicle once described him as “Brash, smart, confident”. But for years Da Mayor – as he is fondly known in The City – said very little … Continue reading Da Mayor and the clinical trial that could help save his vision

A hopeful sight: therapy for vision loss cleared for clinical trial

Rosalinda Barrero says people often thought she was rude, or a snob, because of the way she behaved, pretending not to see them or ignoring them on the street. The truth is Rosalinda has retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a nasty disease, one that often attacks early in life and slowly destroys a person’s vision. Rosalinda’s eyes … Continue reading A hopeful sight: therapy for vision loss cleared for clinical trial

Using stem cells to mend a broken heart and winning $6,000 to boot

It’s no secret that the members of the CIRM blog team are all big fans of scientists who are good public communicators. We feel that the more scientists talk about their research, the better the public will understand the importance of science and it’s ability to help them or someone they love. So on Monday … Continue reading Using stem cells to mend a broken heart and winning $6,000 to boot