
12/22/2022
On behalf of the team at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, we wish you a safe and happy holiday!
Thank you to the people of California and our wonderful community for making 2022 a successful year.
CIRM is California's Stem Cell Agency.
CIRM accelerates world class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and world. Our mission is to accelerate world class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and world.
Operating as usual
On behalf of the team at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, we wish you a safe and happy holiday!
Thank you to the people of California and our wonderful community for making 2022 a successful year.
“If successful, this approach can overcome hurdles to the success of chemotherapy and blood stem cell transplantation for the treatment of advanced blood cancer,” says Dr. Maria T. Millan, President and CEO of CIRM.
Blood stem cell transplantation following high dose chemotherapy is standard of care and potentially curative for aggressive forms of lymphoma. However, this treatment regimen is limited by severe …
CIRM lost its voice this weekend.
Sunday evening, our beloved Director of Patient Advocacy and frequent face and voice of the Institute, Kevin McCormack, passed away unexpectedly, leaving an unfillable void in our hearts.
CIRM lost its voice this weekend. Sunday evening, our beloved Director of Patient Advocacy and frequent face and voice of the Institute, Kevin McCormack, passed away unexpectedly,…
During the CIRM SPARK summer internship, the high school student joined a lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys to study Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and how stem cells can be used to provide treatment.
Earlier this year, CIRM welcomed many energetic and enthusiastic high school students at the 2022 SPARK Program annual conference in Oakland. The SPARK program is one of the California Institute fo…
El bebé Tobi recibió un tratamiento de células madre, financiado por el CIRM, mientras aún estaba en el útero.
“Cuando lo abrazamos por primera vez dijimos, ‘No puedo creer que hayamos hecho esto. Lo logramos. Lo hicimos sin saber si funcionaría’.”
El bebé, Tobi, que recibió un tratamiento de células madre financiado por el CIRM, mientras aún estaba en el útero, y sus padres Michelle y Jeff. To read this blog in English, click here. Michelle …
Both patients entered the study with a history of significant monthly seizures that were not controlled by anti-seizure medications.
So far, they have both seen encouraging signs of reduced seizures which suggest that a single dose of NRTX-1001 may have a long-lasting ability to suppress seizures.
Nearly 3.5 million Americans suffer from some form of epilepsy. It can affect people in different ways from stiff muscles or staring spells, to violent shaking and loss of consciousness. …
🎶 When the working day is done oh nerds just wanna have funds. 🎶
We at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We get to work with some extraordinary colleagues, we get to know some remarkable patient a…
Caring Cross announced recently that they have dosed the first patient in the trial testing their anti-HIV duoCAR-T cell therapy.
The goal of this one-time therapy is to act as a long-term control of HIV with patients no longer needing to take anti-HIV medications. If it is successful it would be, in effect, a form of functional HIV cure.
Dr. Steven Deeks. Photo courtesy UCSF I’ve always been impressed by the willingness of individuals to step forward and volunteer for a clinical trial. Even more so when they are the first person ev…
“We are hopeful that it might one day be possible to inject an antibody at specific sites in the body to regenerate muscle in older people or to counteract functional problems due to disease or surgery.”
A study by Stanford Medicine researchers in older mice may lead to treatments that help seniors regain muscle strength lost to aging. Muscle stem cells—which are activated in response to muscle inj…
There’s more encouraging news from a CIRM-funded clinical trial for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) with Jasper Therapeutics.
They have announced that they have tested their approach in 16 patients, with encouraging results and no serious adverse events.
Dr. Judy Shizuru: Photo courtesy Jasper Therapeutics Over the years the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has invested a lot in helping children born with severe combined immuno…
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has been named as a finalist for the Patient Advocacy Award (non-profit category) as part of the Phacilitate Advanced Therapies Awards.
It’s always nice to be told you are doing a good job. It’s even nicer when it’s unexpected. That’s certainly the case when we, the Communications Team at the California Institute for Regenerative M…
Dr. Dennis Clegg has lots of titles and honors but what makes him most interesting is the progress he is helping drive in finding cures for macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of vision loss in the world.
In this podcast Dennis talks about how a small patch they have developed is showing real promise in restoring vision.
Dennis Clegg, UC Santa Barbara researcher Doctor Dennis Clegg, a researcher and scientist at UC Santa Barbara, is fascinated by the eye. He thinks it’s one of the most beautiful objects in na…
Dr. Lili Yang is working on developing a stem cell-derived Natural Killer cell that can attack cancer.
She is doing it in a way that she hopes will make the therapy more effective, cheaper and widely available to everyone who needs it.
Lili Yang UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center: Photo courtesy Reed Hutchinson PhotoGraphics When Lili Yang was studying for her PhD she approached her mentor, the Nobel Laureate Dr. David Baltimor…
Congratulations to Senator Art Torres (Ret.), the Vice Chair of the CIRM Board, who received a Dolores Huerta Lifetime Achievement Award this month!
During the ceremony, Dolores Huerta sent a video greeting from Texas (where she lives) and San Francisco Mayor London Breed presented him with a Certificate of Honor.
Mayor Breed praised Art for supporting immigrant communities, uplifting Latino residents, and for his advocacy and passion to secure critical funding for stem cell research in California.
We are thrilled to have Senator Art Torres (Ret.) serve on our Board and congratulate him for this amazing achievement!
Read more: https://bit.ly/3TUUbDv
To date, no vaccines or other treatments have been approved for Zika virus.
Zika is caused by a virus that is mainly transmitted by infected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes but also through sexual in*******se. People infected by Zika virus usually have mild symptoms that n…
More promising news from the CIRM-funded stem cell clinical trial at UC Davis Health treating spina bifida.
The three babies from the trial that have been born so far will be monitored by the research team until 30 months of age to fully assess the procedure’s safety and effectiveness.
He was diagnosed with spina bifida while still in the womb, but thanks to this procedure he was born happy and healthy.
CIRM’s goal is that the outcomes of the projects derived from this opportunity will ultimately create new avenues and provide a rigorous foundation for translational and clinical development work.
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is pleased to announce a new opportunity within our current funding cycle for Discovery stage programs: the DISC0 …
The first phase of the clinical trial is funded by a $9 million state grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).
Three babies have been born after receiving the world’s first spina bifida treatment combining surgery with stem cells. This was made possible by a landmark clinical trial at UC Davis Health known formally as the “CuRe Trial: Cellular Therapy for In Utero Repair of Myelomeningocele.”
CIRM congratulates Carolyn Bertozzi for winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry!
Bertozzi helped jump-start human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research in California and had a hand in early CIRM-funded stem cell research.
Carolyn Bertozzi. Image credit: Andrew Brodhead The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Carolyn R. Bertozzi of Stanford University, Morten Meldal of the University of Copenhagen, and …
Neurona Therapeutics is testing a new therapy for a drug-resistant form of epilepsy and has released some encouraging early findings: the first patient treated went from having more than 30 seizures a month to just four seizures over a three-month period.
Neurona Therapeutics is testing a new therapy for a drug-resistant form of epilepsy and has just released some encouraging early findings. The first patient treated went from having more than 30 se…
The second Wednesday in October is . It’s a day when we mark the progress being made in regenerative medicine and the ways that it has changed and saved lives..
Join us on Wednesday, October 12th as we highlight the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's achievements since we were created by the voters of California in 2004. We will also look to the future to explore how we can best further our mission.
Save your spot: bit.ly/StemCellAwarenessDay
When Michelle and Jeff learned they were expecting a baby, they were elated.
Then an ultrasound exam at 20 weeks into the pregnancy showed the fetus had spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly.
The couple were referred to UC Davis where Dr. Diana Farmer and Dr. Aijun Wang were running a clinical trial—funded by CIRM—using stem cells, taken from a donor placenta.
Read their story on our blog .
Our 2021-22 Annual Report is now online. It’s filled with information about the work we have done over the last year (we are on a fiscal calendar year from July 1 – June 30), the people…
“I’ve always felt that stem cell research feels like a treasure hunt looking for cures and treatments, so the more of us that are partaking in the treasure hunt, the quicker we can find new treatments and provide solutions for patients.”
All her life, Madison Waterlander knew that she wanted to be a part of the medical field. But soon after graduating from the University of Hawaii with her undergraduate degree, the COVID-19 pa…
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has invested almost $60 million in 14 projects, including five clinical trials targeting .
We've also partnered with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in their Cure Sickle Cell Initiative.
September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, a time to refocus our efforts to find new treatments, even a cure, for people with sickle cell disease. Until we get those, CIRM remains committed…
We were saddened to learn today of the death of Susan Solomon, the CEO and co-founder of the The The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute (NYSCF), a non-profit organization that supports stem cell research around the world.
As CEO, Ms. Solomon raised over $400M for stem cell research, helping to catalyze the field and transform the future of medical research.
The foundation announced the news on its website, saying she died after a long battle with ovarian cancer.
Susan L. Solomon, Photo courtesy of NYSCF We were saddened to learn today of the death of Susan Solomon, the CEO and co-founder of the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), a non-profit organizati…
With funding support from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), Cedars-Sinai investigators have developed an investigational therapy using support cells and a protective protein that can be delivered past the blood-brain barrier.
This combined stem cell and gene therapy can potentially protect diseased motor neurons in the spinal cord of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neurological disorder known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
“We are very grateful to all the participants in the study,” says senior author Clive Svendsen, PhD. “ALS is a very tough disease to treat, and this research gives us hope that we are getting closer to finding ways to slow down this disease.”
Senior author of the study Clive Svendsen, PhD (center) With funding support from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), Cedars-Sinai investigators have developed an investigati…
When she was 24, Veronica saw a specialist who told her she had retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative condition that would eventually leave her legally blind.
“All of my dreams of becoming a nurse, of getting married, of having children, of traveling – it all just shattered in that moment.”
Veronica and Elliott Growing up Veronica McDougall thought everyone saw the world the way she did; blurry, slightly out-of-focus and with tunnel vision. As she got older her sight got worse a…
Developing a faster, more efficient way to edit genes could lead to better, more effective therapies for cancer and rare diseases https://bit.ly/3cv9S48
Clinical fellow Brian Shy talks with postdoctoral scholar Tori Yamamoto in the Marson Lab at Gladstone Institutes on June 8th, 2022. Photo courtesy Gladstone Institutes. For years scientists have b…
Decisions we make in school can unexpectedly shape where we end up. One woman scientist's road to the White House.
https://bit.ly/3KlUp2U
Jackie Ward, PhD. Photo courtesy National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke It’s always fun to meet someone early in their career and see how they grow and evolve and take on new …
Stanford Medicine professor Dr. Jill Helms wears many hats. She's a brilliant researcher and part of a company developing therapies for aging.
She's a teacher, mentor, terrific public speaker, a fashionista extraordinaire and someone who has ridden her horse to work.
She's also a fascinating podcast guest, as we found out in our latest episode of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's podcast, Talking 'Bout (re) Generation.
Stanford University professor Dr. Jill Helms wears many hats. She's a gifted stem cell researcher, she's part of a company developing therapies for aging, she's a teacher, mentor, terrific public speaker, a fashionista extraordinaire and someone w...
"I applied to this program because stem cell research gave my family the gift of hope. Now, on the other side of the wait, I wish to serve patients and families like my own."
Emily Smith, CIRM Bridges student The California Institute for Regenerative (CIRM) has a number of education programs geared towards training the next generation of stem cell and gene therapy resea…
How a summer internship changed the lives of some budding scientists https://bit.ly/3SRMNZJ
SPARK poster session; Photo by Esteban Cortez When I was in high school I spent my summers working in a shoe shop and playing soccer with my mates. It never occurred to me that I could do something…
Congratulations to all the high school interns across California who enthusiastically participated in this year's Program!🙌
We had a wonderful time meeting so many of them at the annual SPARK conference.
We had a wonderful time meeting so many energetic and enthusiastic high school students at the 2022 SPARK Program annual conference hosted by UCSF at the MLK Research Building. The SPARK program is…
In addition to funding cutting-edge research, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) funds educational programs like the Bridges to Stem Cell Research Program.
The program provides paid stem cell research internships to students at universities and colleges that don’t have major stem cell research programs.
To date, there are 1,663 Bridges alumni, and another 109 Bridges trainees are completing their internships in 2022.
Thank you to the team from California State University San Marcos for hosting this year's Bridges Trainee Meeting in San Diego!
More photos: https://bit.ly/3QhFkB8
We are thrilled about City of Hope's great achievement in helping a man with HIV go into long-term remission through a stem cell transplant.
What wasn’t reported was that work supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) played a role in making that happen.
CIRM’s Alpha Clinics Network helped City of Hope get this case approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and also helped in collecting and shipping the donor blood.
In addition, part of the Alpha Clinics team at UC San Diego helped with the reservoir analysis of blood and gut biopsies to check for any remaining signs of HIV.
While the role of the Alpha Clinics Network in helping this one patient may seem relatively small, it was also an important one.
And CIRM certainly is not stopping there: we have invested more than $79 million in 19 different projects targeting HIV/AIDS, include four clinical trials.
Read more about this study on our blog .
The news that a stem cell transplant at City of Hope helped a man with HIV go into long-term remission made banner headlines around the world. As it should. It’s a huge achievement, particularly as…
Sean Entin says it's a miracle he survived a devastating stroke, one that almost killed him. Now he's using the lessons he learned in his recovery to help others. That's why they call him the Stroker Hacker. https://bit.ly/3b8Cek7
Sean Entin, stroke survivor and founder of Stroke Hacker The word “miraculous” gets tossed around a lot in the world of medicine, mostly by people who have made an unexpected recovery f…
How a high school student managed to snag an interview with one of the leading figures in stem cell and gene therapy research, and the wonderful conversation that resulted. https://bit.ly/3BdOtGH
One of the great pleasures of my job is getting to meet the high school students who take part in our SPARK or Summer Internship to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge program. It’s a …
Why do so many people spend so much money on stem cell therapies they know probably won’t help them? A new survey has some answers. https://bit.ly/3yYslxn
Every day I field phone calls and emails from people looking for a stem cell therapy to help them cope with everything from arthritis to cancer. Often, they will mention that they saw an ad for a c…
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The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was established by Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. The statewide ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell research at California universities and research institutions, was approved by 59% of California voters on November 2, 2004, and called for the establishment of a new state agency to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities and other vital research opportunities. The Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC) is the 29-member Governing Board of the Institute; the Governing Board members represent expertise from California’s leading public and private universities, non-profit hospitals and research institutions, patient advocacy groups and biotechnology.
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How we won the election and set about changing the world https://blog.cirm.ca.gov/2021/11/15/sweating-bullets-and-other-stories-from-the-frontline/
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Our mission at CIRM is to accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs by funding promising stem cell research in California.
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