Stories of hope and scientific progress in the CIRM Annual Report

This past year, CIRM scientists made significant progress toward new therapies. Several disease teams showed that their approach is likely to be effective and they are likely to be reaching clinical trials on target in the next few years. Other groups made progress in understanding how embryonic stem cells form adult cells and tissues and mimicking disease in a laboratory dish. CIRM formed new global partnerships to leverage world-wide stem cell expertise and seven of our major facilities opened their doors to stem cell scientists.

I know all this because it's in the just-published annual report. You can read the stories here, along with letters from Governing Board chair Robert Klein and President Alan Trounson.

My favorite part of every annual report is the focus on patient advocates and their stories. This year, we feature people living with (or caring for) those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), Huntington's disease, HIV/AIDS, epidermolysis bullosa and stroke, as well as a follow-up story on a woman living with a form of pre-leukemia who we featured in last year's report. She's doing well on a new therapy that came out of CIRM-funded research.

The patients and their stories keep CIRM scientists' focus where it belongs -- on developing new therapies for chronic disease and injury.

A.A.