Articles from California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)

South San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has approved awarding $27 million through three grants across the state to create a network of Community Care Centers of Excellence (CCCEs). The CCCE program is the first of its kind designed to make regenerative medicine clinical trials accessible for Californians who live far from major medical centers where most clinical trials are administered. Each center will also offer training and career development for both the delivery of treatments and wider patient support services required in the expanding field of regenerative medicine.

Since 2004 when the stem cell field was in its infancy, CIRM has been a key player, enabling best-in-class research in the quest to develop cell and gene therapies.

Jonathan Thomas, PhD, JD previously served as the Board Chair for 12 years, and most recently as CIRM’s Interim CEO.

San Francisco, CA, United States, Sept. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), one of the world’s largest institutes dedicated to regenerative medicine, announced key recommendations from its Strategic Allocation Framework (SAF), a structured and data-driven effort designed to prioritize resources and maximize the impact of CIRM’s funding.These recommendations mark a significant step forward in aligning CIRM’s initiatives with the Agency’s overall mission to accelerate the development and delivery of innovative regenerative medicine treatments.The SAF will be instrumental in guiding CIRM's remaining $3.86 billion in funding—$1.14 billion of which must go to neurological research as mandated by Prop 14 (2020). The effort kicked off in September 2023 following a prioritization discussion that identified a need for a more structured approach to resource allocation. Over the past six months, CIRM has presented recommendations at joint Science Subcommittee and Neuro Task Force meetings of areas where CIRM’s funding can have the greatest impact.“The regenerative medicine landscape has evolved dramatically since CIRM’s inception. With advances in cell and gene therapies, including promising breakthroughs for both rare and prevalent diseases, we must ensure our focus is meeting the demands of this rapidly expanding field,” said Jonathan Thomas, PhD, JD, President and CEO of CIRM. “The Strategic Allocation Framework (SAF) is crucial for CIRM to sustain our role as a global leader in regenerative medicine and stem cell research. As such, we must ensure that these remaining resources are distributed wisely to drive the most significant impact possible.”Design questions served as the foundation for guiding the SAF in addition to extensive internal and external key datasets. Data were compiled and analyzed, playing a key role in informing recommendations.Strategic Recommendations from the SAF ProcessThe SAF was designed to focus CIRM’s resources on measurable impact goals framed within four key categories: Accelerating Discovery & Translation, Cell & Gene Therapy Approvals, Accessibility & Affordability, and Diverse Workforce Development.The result was a set of six recommendations designed to accelerate the discovery and translation of therapies, advance critical approvals for cell and gene therapies, improve accessibility and affordability, and ensure a diverse and skilled workforce capable of sustaining advancements in regenerative medicine.The following are goals and recommendations from the SAF process: