Stanford Lab Working To ‘Cure The Incurable’
The Laboratory for Cell and Gene Medicine is focusing on gene-engineered cells, which can improve life for patients and lead to new therapies for diseases.
The Mercury News:
Stanford Manufactures Gene-Engineered Cells To Cure The Incurable
Inside “clean rooms” of Stanford University’s fledgling Laboratory for Cell and Gene Medicine, lab techs tend machines that churn out gene-engineered cells, which can attack cancer, fix blood disease, patch a heart, alter the immune system, build skin grafts and create a realm of yet-to-be discovered therapies. The 25,000-square-foot facility, which opened last September, puts Stanford at the forefront of one of medicine’s most important and promising trends: regenerative medicine, which aims to refurbish diseased or damaged tissue using the body’s own healthy cells. (Kreiger, 12/17)
In other news from across the state —
The Bakersfield Californian:
California Prisons Reduce Risk Of Valley Fever For Inmates
In the last few years, state prisons, at least, have made changes. They have worked harder to screen out prisoners who are the most vulnerable to the disease and to take measures to lower the risk to inmates who are incarcerated there. Between 2011 and 2015, their valley fever rates fell dramatically — close to 90 percent overall. Within that time period, valley fever became less prevalent all around, but even in the most endemic areas of the southwest, background rates fell by only 30 to 50 percent. (Klein, 12/18)
Fresno Bee:
Three Clovis West High School Student Suicides In Three Months
Clovis Unified maintains that it has deployed ample resources to educate students and parents. Students, teachers and staff members are encouraged to ask for help and report warning signs. The suicides may be part of a larger issue, as local government and health officials are working to curb an unusually large number of child suicides across Fresno County. (Appleton, 12/15)