Stage of Program: Basic or Applied Basic Research (DISC1 and many 1.0 Projects)
Generation and characterization of high-quality, footprint-free human induced pluripotent stem cell lines from 3,000 donors to investigate multigenic diseases
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have the potential to differentiate to nearly any cells of the body, thereby providing a new paradigm for studying normal and aberrant biological networks in nearly all stages of development. Donor-specific iPSCs and differentiated cells made from them can be used for basic and applied research, for developing better disease […]
CIRM Tissue Collection for Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
Most children who go to the clinic with brain disorders have symptoms combining autism, cerebral palsy and epilepsy, suggesting underlying and shared mechanisms of brain dysfunction in these conditions. Such disorders affect 4-6% of the population with life-long disease, and account for about 10% of health care expenditures in the US. Genetic studies have pointed […]
Generation of fibroblast cell lines in patients with common blinding eye diseases
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) are the major causes of irreversible vision loss worldwide. Although the exact causes and mechanisms of these diseases are not completely understood, it is known that genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of these diseases. Recent scientific advances have enabled […]
Tissue Collection for Accelerating iPSC Research in Cardiovascular Diseases
Heart failure is a very common and chronic condition defined by an inability of the heart to pump blood effectively. Over half of cases of heart failure are caused by a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, which involves dilation of the heart cavity and weakening of the muscle. Importantly, many cases of this disease do not […]
Collection of skin biopsies to prepare fibroblasts from patients with Alzheimer’s disease and cognitively healthy elderly controls
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), the most common form of dementia in the elderly, affects over 5 million Americans. There are no treatments to slow progression or prevent AD. This reflects limitations in knowledge of mechanisms underlying AD, and in tools and models for early development and testing of treatment. Genetic breakthroughs related to early onset AD […]
Induced pluripotent stem cells from children with autism spectrum disorders
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a family of disabling disorders of the developing brain that affect about 1% of the population. Studying the biology of these conditions has been difficult as they have been challenging to represent in animal models. The core symptoms of ASD, including deficits in social communication, imagination and curiosity are intrinsically […]
Using human induced pluripotent stem cells to improve our understanding of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and generally fatal disease that causes scarring of the lungs and therefore an inability to breathe. Its true prevalence is unknown, as it may go unrecognized for many years, but it is generally thought to affect more than 200,000 people in the USA and is five times more […]
iPSC-derived Hepatocytes as Platforms for Research in Viral Hepatitis and Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis
Hepatitis C and fatty liver disease are the two most common liver diseases in California. Individuals from different backgrounds are susceptible to these liver diseases, but they have unique genetic profiles that may influence the severity of disease and the response to specific therapies. Technology now makes it possible to generate stem cells from a […]
In Utero Embryonic Stem Cell Transplantation to Treat Congenital Anomalies
Many fetuses with congenital blood stem cell disorders such as sickle cell disease or thalassemia are prenatally diagnosed early enough in pregnancy to be treated with stem cell transplantation. The main benefit to treating these diseases before birth is that the immature fetal immune system may accept transplanted cells without needing to use immunosuppressant drugs […]
Enhancing hair cell regeneration in mouse and human inner ear
Hearing loss (HL) is a permanent sensory disorder affecting over 278 million people worldwide. In the US and California, 20% of individuals suffer from this sensory deficit. Those affected range from newborns (2 per 1000), to children aged 3-17 (5 per 1000), to adults including the elderly (~33% in aged 65-74 and ~50% >85 years […]