News and Events

The Stem Cellar

• First-generation graduate career path in cell and gene therapies to fight cancer September 2, 2026
  Gisselle Contreras’s parents beam with pride at all she’s achieved.  “I’ve exceeded their expectations,” said Contreras. Gisselle Contreras’s parents beam with pride at all she’s achieved.  A graduate of California State University, Fullerton, with a degree in molecular biology, she’s the first person in her family to earn a college degree.   She’s researching gene and cell therapies to treat glioblastoma, an aggressive […]
• Marguerite Casillas gives patients a voice to make science stronger August 26, 2026
  For about half an hour, Marguerite Casillas broke the spell cast by speakers discussing transcription factors, recombinant DNA, and other scientific breakthroughs.   She reminded an audience of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scientists at a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) trainee networking conference what their work is ultimately about.   “Behind every sample, every data point is a […]
• CAR T-cell therapy and how it’s used at CIRM  August 20, 2026
  By Holly Alyssa MacCormick  The human body is remarkably adept at defending itself from harmful cells and foreign substances, but sometimes it needs a little help. One way that scientists boost the immune system is through a form of genetic engineering known as chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR T-cell therapy. This therapy is currently used to treat certain cancers, but it may soon be used to treat other diseases as well. The biology behind CAR T-cell therapy  T-cells are a special type of immune cell that works as a sentinel in the […]