Image Credit: University of Southern California (USC) Eye Institute Over the last two decades CIRM has supported research and helped advance potential treatments for macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness. Early grants One of the earliest was a 2007 SEED grant to David Hinton, MD, of the University of Southern California (USC). … Continue reading A CIRM-funded therapy for macular degeneration
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CIRM Grants $5.8M for Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy Research
The American Cancer Society estimates that this year in the United States, there will be 268,490 new cases of prostate cancer. It also estimates that 34,500 men will die from the cancer in 2022. Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. These stark statistics are why the California … Continue reading CIRM Grants $5.8M for Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy Research
Stem cell-derived retinal patch continues to show promising results two years post-implantation
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
How a tiny patch is helping restore lasting vision
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Researchers are working on a stem cell-based retinal implant that could be used for people with with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration. (Photo/ Britney O. Pennington) When Anna Kuehl began losing her vision, she feared losing the ability to read and go on long walks in … Continue reading How a tiny patch is helping restore lasting vision
Stem cell-based implant for cartilage restoration and treating osteoarthritis
The Plurocart’s scaffold membrane is seeded with stem cell-derived chondrocytes. Image courtesy of USC Photo/Denis Evseenko. Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC used a stem cell-based bio-implant to repair cartilage and delay joint degeneration in a large-animal model. Treating osteoarthritis This paves the way to potentially treat humans with cartilage injuries and … Continue reading Stem cell-based implant for cartilage restoration and treating osteoarthritis
Training 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 Training a diverse group of future scientists
CIRM funded trial for AMD shows promising results
This upcoming July is healthy vision month, a time to remember the importance of making vision and eye health a priority. It's also a time to think about the approximately 12 million people, 40 and over in the United States, that have a vision impairment. Vision can be something that many of us take for … Continue reading CIRM funded trial for AMD shows promising results
Sometimes a cold stare is a good thing
A retina of a patient with macular degeneration. (Photo credit: Paul Parker/SPL) Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the elderly in the U.S. It’s estimated that some 11 million Americans could have some form of the disease, a number that is growing every year. So if you … Continue reading Sometimes a cold stare is a good thing
Call for a worldwide approach to regulating predatory stem cell clinics
You can’t fix a global problem at the local level. That’s the gist of a new perspective piece in the journal Stem Cell Reports that calls for a global approach to rogue stem cell clinics that offer bogus therapies. The authors of the article are calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to set up … Continue reading Call for a worldwide approach to regulating predatory stem cell clinics
Remembering Eli Broad, philanthropist and stem cell champion
Eli Broad, Photo by Nancy Pastor The world of stem cell research lost a good friend this weekend. Eli Broad, a generous supporter of science, education and the arts, passed away at the age of 87. Eli came from humble origins, born in the Bronx to an immigrant father who worked as a house painter … Continue reading Remembering Eli Broad, philanthropist and stem cell champion