In a few days it will be the 5-year anniversary of my diagnosis with a very serious form of prostate cancer. So far since then I’ve been doing pretty well (knock on wood). I am still getting PSA tested and life still has a cancer thread through it for me. As much as having cancer is …
The STAP cell mess that began in January of this year has in some ways quieted down. In a broader sense, I believe that STAP is now and will be in the future viewed as a scandal that revealed some less than ideal aspects to the world of biomedical science and publishing. Where does this …
STAP Cell Update: STAP-like paper, Real Origin of STAP cells Read More »
With one week left to vote to pick the top 12 finalists for the Stem Cell Person of the Year 2014 Award, we have more than 2,800 votes in so far. From the top 12 vote-getters, I will choose the winner. This is the third year of this award. I self-fund this award out of …
Stem Cell Person of the Year Award 2014 Voting: Who Will Be Finalists? Read More »
The stem cell biotech Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) reported new, positive data in a paper in Lancet from their clinical trials using retinal pigmented epithelial cells (RPEs) made from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) for treatment of different forms of macular degeneration (MD). The paper was entitled “Human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium in patients with age-related …
Advanced Cell Technology pub: Trial for Macular Degeneration Read More »
It’s hard to even imagine the world of investigative medicine without the wonderful resource of Clinicaltrials.gov, the global hub for clinical trial listings. I recently interviewed the Director of Clinicaltrials.gov, Dr. Deborah Zarin here, which is a fascinating read. As great as Clinicaltrials.gov is as a resource, unfortunately it faces a new, rapidly growing problem that is a serious …
Clinicaltrials.gov Mission At Risk From Proliferating For-Profit Trials Read More »
There has been considerable discussion about the whether the media hyped the recent Harvard stem cells for diabetes paper (see top 10 takeaways of that paper). I believe that this was greatly hyped. This Harvard publication reported production of insulin-secreting cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESC). Newspapers around the world widely exaggerated the potential impact …
Stem cells for Diabetes: the danger of the word ‘cure’ Read More »
2014 Stem Cell Meetings, Conferences, and Courses still to come before year’s end. NYSCF NY Stem Cell Foundation 9th Annual Meeting, NYC, NY Oct 14-15. Till & McCulloch Meetings, Ottowa, Canada, Oct. 27-29. Cellular Therapies Manufacturing & Clinical Trials in Canada Workshop, Ottawa, ON Canada, October 29-30, 2014. World Alliance Forum 2014 on Impact of Regenerative …
The idea of using stem cells for treat Type I Diabetes is very promising and could have huge practical impact. Real progress has been achieved toward this goal over the last decade. In perhaps another decade there might be a validated treatment. A new stem cell paper has just come out in Cell from Harvard in this …
Takeaways From Harvard Stem Cells for Diabetes Paper Read More »
Can stem cells some day cure baldness? This is about more than vanity. Baldness can also be due to a medical condition or a side effect of a treatment of another kind. Many medical procedures such as radiation treatment for brain cancer or chemo as well as medical conditions such as burns or alopecia cause baldness, …
Skeptical look at stem cells for baldness: hope vs. hype Read More »
Nominations have closed and we have more than two dozen nominations for Stem Cell Person of the Year 2014. It’s an exciting, diverse group including some news faces as well as nominees from years past as well. Happy Stem Cell Day! You can now vote for your choice for the top finalists in the poll …
Stem Cell Person of the Year 2014 Award: Vote To Choose 12 Finalists Read More »