CIRM's 'Daring,' $26 Million Bet on a Treatment for a Deadly Muscular Disease

Capricor and Cedars-Sinai researchers involved

Caleb Sizemore’s story about a clinical trial treatment by Capricor

A little more than one month ago , the stock price of Capricor Therapeutics, Inc., a firm backed with millions of dollars from the state of California, skyrocketed more than 300 percent.

The spectacular jump was fueled by news that Capricor would pursue full federal approval of a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a devastating affliction that destroys muscle tissue and leads to death.

Since then, Capricor has raised $86.3 million in a stock offering that will continue to finance its work. And last week STAT, the respected biomedical news service, had this to say about Capricor’s plans: “Daring, risky, and entirely justified.”