Disease Focus: Spinal Cord Injury
The Immunological Niche: Effect of immunosuppressant drugs on stem cell proliferation, gene expression, and differentiation in a model of spinal cord injury.
Our understanding of the effect of immunosuppressive agents on stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the central nervous system is limited. Indeed, even the necessity for long-term immunosuppression to promote the survival of stem cells grafted into the “immunoprivileged” central nervous system (CNS) is unknown. Grafting multipotent stem cells into the injured CNS often results […]
Role of the microenvironment in human iPS and NSC fate and tumorigenesis
Multipotent Neural Stem Cells (NSC) can be derived from adult central nervous system (CNS) tissue, embryonic stem cells (ESC), or iPSC and provide a partially committed cell population that has not exhibited evidence of tumorigenesis after long term CNS transplantation. Transplantation of NSC from these different sources has been shown by multiple investigators in different […]
Molecular Characterization of hESC and hIPSC-Derived Spinal Motor Neurons
One of the main objectives of stem cell biology is to create physiologically relevant cell types that can be used to either facilitate the study of or directly treat human disease. Tremendous progress towards these goals has been made in the area of motor neuron disease and spinal cord injury through the findings that motor […]
Spinal Cord Injury and Stem Cells: Jake Javier, Clinical Trial Participant
On June 9th, 2016, Jake Javier seriously injured his spinal cord in a freak accident after diving into a swimming pool just one day before he was due to graduate from San Ramon Valley high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. 28 days later, Jake became the latest member of a very select group. […]
CURED: Stem Cell Clinical Trial Stories
Clinical trials are risky and rely on brave pioneers who are willing to put their bodies on the line to test something never before tried in people. At its December 2016 meeting, the governing Board of California’s Stem Cell Agency (CIRM) met four courageous heroes who have participated in CIRM-funded clinical trials and in two […]
Spinal Cord Injury and a CIRM-Funded Stem Cell-Based Trial
Jane Lebkowski, Asterias Biotherapeutics‘ VP of R&D, spoke to CIRM’s governing Board about the company’s CIRM-funded clinical trial for spinal cord injury. Richard Lajara, the fourth participant in a previous trial, gives a patient’s perspective. Related Links: Blog about the seminar Spinal cord injury fact sheet
Spinal Cord Injury and Stem Cell-Based Trials: What’s the Latest?
In this Google Hangout, Jane Lebkowski, PhD, president of research and development at Asterias Biotherapeutics, and Kevin Whittlesey, PhD, a CIRM science officer discuss the latest progress in stem cell-based research for treatment of spinal cord injury. Asterias has a $14 million CIRM grant to support their embryonic stem cell-based clinical trial for spinal cord […]
World’s 1st Human Embryonic Stem Cell Trial for Spinal Cord Injury – Katie Sharify
Katie Sharify was one of five people with spinal cord injuries to participate in the world’s first clinical trial testing human embryonic stem cells. The Geron sponsored trial was supported by California’s Stem Cell Agency (CIRM). In this video Katie speaks about her clinical trial experience with a group of scientists who were meeting to […]
Roman Reed: What all patient advocates at the World Stem Cell Summit should know
Roman Reed spoke with CIRM at the World Stem Cell Summit about what he thinks patients advocates should know about stem cell research. He came to the meeting in Pasadena to talk about stem cell advocacy. Roman got a spinal cord injury in 1994 and is the namesake of the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury […]
Bridges Trainee Meeting Keynote: Geron’s Embryonic Stem Cell Trial for Spinal Cord Injury
Dr. Jane Lebkowski, former executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Geron Corporation, gave the keynote address for the 2011 CIRM Bridges Trainee Meeting held July 7-8 in Burlingame, California. Geron began the first clinical trial in the world using human embryonic stem cells. The trial was testing the cells as a potential therapy […]