CALIFORNIA CURES!: HOW THE CALIFORNIA STEM CELL PROGRAM IS FIGHTING YOUR INCURABLE DISEASE! - Hardcover

Don C Reed

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 981323136X ISBN 13: 9789813231368

Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Co, 2018

Synopsis

Thirteen years ago, America faced an epidemic of chronic disease: cancer, paralysis, blindness, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and more.

But California voters said "YES!" to a $3 billion stem cell research program: the awkwardly-named California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Born into battle, the scrappy little state agency was immediately blocked by three years of anti-science lawsuits — but it defeated them all. And then?

A quiet triumph. With a focused intensity like the Manhattan Project (but for peaceful purposes, not to build a bomb), scientists funded by CIRM took on the challenges: disease and disability called chronic: incurable.

In a series of connected stories, accurate though written to entertain, "California Cures" relates a war: science against disease, with lives on the line. Think what it means for a paralyzed young man to recover the use of his hands, or for a formerly-blind mother to see her teenaged children — for the first time!

Do you know the "bubble-baby" syndrome? Infants without a proper immune system typically die young; a common cold can kill. But for eighteen babies in a stem cell clinical trial, a different future: they were cured of their disease.

No one can predict the pace of science, nor say when cures will come; but California is bringing the fight. The reader will meet the scientists involved, the women and men behind the microscope, and share their struggle.

Above all, "California Cures" is a call for action. Washington may argue about the expense of health care (and who will get it), but California works to bring down the mountain of medical debt: stem cell therapies to ease suffering, and save lives.

Will California build on success — and invest $5 billion more in stem cell research?

"We have the momentum", says author Don C Reed, "We dare not stop short. Chronic disease threatens everyone — we are fighting for your family, and mine!"

Readership: Scientists in biomed field, parents of children with disabilities, soldiers with injuries; Parkinson's, diabetes and spinal cord injury survivors, science organizations, fundraisers for medical causes; for anyone who has a chronic disease — or who loves someone who does.

About this title

Review

"An engrossing read that is hard to put down and packed with insights blend history and the latest research with broader examination of stem cell potentials to change not only health conditions, but society as a whole. No collection covering stem cell advancements should be without this hard-hitting examination that uses California's results as a foundation for considering stem cell's special promises and powerful obstacles to success." -- Midwestern Book Review

Praise for Author's Previous Book: "Stem Cell Battles: Proposition 71 and Beyond"

"A real page-turner ... fills a gap in public library collections ..." -- S Pantages, Former Head Librarian, Fremont, California

"Solid primer ... should be useful to anyone interested in stem cells and their potential to change the world ..." Kirkus Reviews

"Exceptionally well-written, organized and presented ... very highly recommended for both academia and the general reader ..." -- Midwest Book Reviews

" ... prime example of how a small group of people can bring about significant change for many ..." -- Foreword Reviews

Edition details

• Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Co
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 981323136X
• ISBN 13: 9789813231368
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352