California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)

CIRM is paving the way for a diverse and skilled workforce in regenerative medicine throughout the Golden State. Check out this video highlighting mentors, students, clinical fellows, and program alums as they share their journey and the invaluable support they've received. #CIRM #DiversityInScience #IgnitingInnovation

Thank you to the wonderful panelists who participated in the #AlphaClinics Symposium Patient and Advocacy Perspectives session. The panel was kicked off by a keynote speech from Lauren Miller-Rogen of Hilarity for Charity (HFC) during which she shared her story as a patient advocate and how her charity is bringing light to Alzheimer's. The session—moderated by Catriona Jamieson of UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute—also highlighted the perspectives of patient advocates Kristin Macdonald of Second Vision, Katie Sharify of CIRM, and Kim Cade of @Sister's Hope Foundation (not pictured).

Our #AlphaClinics Symposium hosted by Cedars-Sinai is underway! Our President and CEO Jonathan Thomas and Executive Strategy Officer of Rare Diseases Abla Creasey kicked off the event by highlighting CIRM's goals for the future and strategies to maximize impact in the regenerative medicine field.

Over 14,000 people in Fresno County are living with Alzheimer's, part of the 720,000+ affected in California. We joined the Alzheimer's Association® Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Fresno/Madera to raise awareness of CIRM's $35 million funding support for stem cell research to better understand the disease and advance potential cell and gene therapies. #EndAlz #Walk2EndAlz #Alzheimers #StemCellResearch #Advocacy #StemCells #GeneTherapies #Research #RegenerativeMedicine

“By awarding arguably the largest grants ever funded to study these effects of air pollution, CIRM is making a huge investment into chemical biology at Scripps Research and also human health—in this case, to study climate change’s impact on these major diseases that affect both the young and old,” says Stuart Lipton, MD, PhD. He and his team were awarded $17.5 million for the research project. In addition, Xin Jin, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience and the Dorris Neuroscience Center, and her team—alongside colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and UC San Diego—were awarded more than $11 million to uncover how different cell types and epigenetic networks are impacted by risk genes implicated in human neuropsychiatric disorders.

Join us next week on Oct. 25 in West Hollywood for the 7th Annual Alpha Clinics Network Symposium, hosted by Cedars-Sinai! Admission is free for all attendees, be sure to register at https://rb.gy/tsffqn. The Symposium provides opportunities to connect and collaborate with clinical trial sponsors, patient advocates, and other regenerative medicine professionals on the shared goal of advancing cell and gene therapies for patients who need them. We look forward to seeing you there. #AlphaClinics #AlphaClinincsNetwork #Symposium #CIRM #ClinicalTrials #PatientAdvocacy #PatientAdvocates #StemCellTherapies #GeneTherapies #RegenerativeMedicine Cedars-Sinai

In December 2023, CIRM awarded Elpida Therapeutics a $3.9 million grant to support their groundbreaking work on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4J (CMT4J). CMT4J is an ultra-rare, inherited disorder that severely affects nerves and motor function, with no available treatments or cures. By funding this preclinical study, CIRM is helping to close critical knowledge gaps and accelerate the development of new stem cell and gene therapies. Learn more about CMT4J and what Elpida is doing to advance research forward. #CMT4J #RegenerativeMedicine #CIRM #RareDiseases #RareDisease #Preclinical #StemCells #GeneTherapies

CIRM team members Kelly Shepard, PhD, and Ross Okamura, Ph.D., had the honor of participating in a "Lunch and Learn" event at Novo Nordisk for Stem Cell Awareness Day. Ross and Kelly provided an overview of CIRM’s history and progress. They had the opportunity to interact with Novo’s stem cell manufacturing teams and several trainees from CIRM’s Bridges and COMPASS programs who are completing their internships at Novo’s Fremont site. The presentation was broadcasted to up to 750 additional scientists from Novo Nordisk’s broader US R&D operations. This was a great opportunity to share CIRM’s mission and explore ways that we can engage with industry partners to enhance it.

Sponsored by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and hosted by Cedars-Sinai, the 7th Annual Alpha Clinics Network Symposium brings together a wide array of stakeholders, including investigators, personnel, clinical trial sponsors, and patient advocates, to network and collaborate on ways to advance our shared goal. We invite you to attend the annual symposium to learn more about the network’s impact. Registration is required. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gPY9_--X

In celebration of Stem Cell Awareness Day, CIRM staff shared their insights on the impact of stem cell research and the future of medicine. Learn more about stem cells and the research CIRM funds at cirm.ca.gov. #StemCells #StemCellAwarenessDay #WeAreStemCells #StemCellResearch #RegenerativeMedicine #CIRM #STEMeducation