Patient Advocates play an important role in everything we do at the stem cell agency, helping inform all the decisions we make. So it was gratifying to hear from one of our Advocates par excellence, Adrienne Shapiro, about her support for our Board’s decision to borrow $4.2 million from our Sickle Cell Cure fund to … Continue reading An advocate’s support for CIRM’s COVID-19 funding

In response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus in California and around the world the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) today held an emergency meeting to approve $5 million in rapid research funds targeting the virus. “These are clearly extraordinary times and they require an extraordinary response from … Continue reading CIRM Board invests $5 million in emergency funding for coronavirus

On March 19th we held a special Facebook Live “Ask the Stem Cell Team About Autism” event. We were fortunate enough to have two great experts – Dr. Alysson Muotri from UC San Diego, and CIRM’s own Dr. Kelly Shepard. As always there is a lot of ground to cover in under one hour and … Continue reading Ask the Stem Cell Team About Autism

In these uncertain times, we often look to our top scientists for answers as well as potential solutions. But where does one begin to try and solve a problem of this magnitude? The first logical step is building on the supplies currently available, the work already accomplished, and the knowledge acquired. This is the approach … Continue reading Gladstone scientists respond to coronavirus pandemic

With everyone stocking up on food essentials this past week, it brings to mind the vital role that our stomach plays in order to properly digest these foods. This week, we wanted to share two separate studies related to aspects of the gut. Promising results for a gut-related condition Gastroparesis is a painful condition in … Continue reading A recap on last week: two gut wrenching studies

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability in the US. Every 45 seconds someone in the US has a stroke. Every year around 275,000 people die from a stroke many more survive but are often impaired by the brain attack. The impact is not just physical, but psychological and emotional. It takes … Continue reading Can stem cells help people who have had a stroke? Ask the experts.

When most people think of mussels, what immediately comes to mind might be a savory seafood dish or favorite seafood restaurant. But to Dr. Alireza Moshaverinia and his team of researchers at the UCLA School of Dentistry, it’s the ability that mussels have to stick to wet surfaces that is of particular interest. Partially inspired … Continue reading New hydrogel developed could aid in therapies to generate bones in head and neck

These are definitely strange, unusual and challenging times. Every day seems to bring new restrictions on what we can and should do. All, of course, in the name of protecting us and helping us avoid a potentially deadly virus. We all hope this will soon pass but we also know the bigger impact of the … Continue reading Why “Ask the Stem Cell Team” Remains Important

Way back in 2013, the CIRM Board invested $32 million in a project to create an iPSC Bank. The goal was simple;  to collect tissue samples from people who have different diseases, turn those samples into high quality stem cell lines – the kind known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) – and create a … Continue reading You can bank on CIRM