By Heather Main This year I will be attending the World Stem Cell Summit for the first time (see @WSCSummit on Twitter). I was surprised when I looked at the program and recognized so few of the names of speakers; which made me question what this event was about, if not focused on stem cell research. …
Good reasons to go to the World Stem Cell Summit Read More »
What’s better for stem cell trials such as for vision loss or Parkinson’s Disease: allogeneic or autologous cells? In a major shift earlier this year, the induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cell trial in Japan for treatment of macular degeneration (MD) switched gears from using the patients’ own cells (called “autologous”) to using banked cells from …
Parkinson’s IPS cell trial in Japan switching to allogeneic Read More »
A few weeks ago I spent a bit of time in Vienna participating in TEDxVienna. You can see two previous posts on my experience here and here. My own video is not up yet on TED, but a few have popped up so far here. One of my favorites is the talk “What if we …
More from @TEDxVienna including photos and videos Read More »
I’ve read a lot of bad writing in the past year including on prostate cancer. Lucky me, right? It’s probably true for most of us. However, a new piece in Slate on prostate cancer and the Movember movement (an effort that raises awareness and funds for prostate cancer research) takes the cake as the absolute worst …
The worst thing I’ve read all year: @Slate piece on prostate cancer Read More »
Congratulations to Dr. Jeanne Loring, the winner of the Stem Cell Person of the Year Award for 2015. Facing steep competition from a very tough field of competitors of finalists, Jeanne came out as the winner for her exceptional contributions in 2015 and throughout her many years in the field. She not only has made …
Stem Cell Person of the Year 2015: Jeanne Loring Read More »
Astellas Pharma is on track to purchase Ocata Therapeutics (formerly Advanced Cell Technology). This has stirred a lot of strong feelings amongst investors in Ocata. (Update, now almost 5 years later, the Ocata vision program is still not going full steam ahead at its new owner it seems). I’ve also been wondering what exactly is …
What is Astellas Pharma, the purchaser of Ocata? Read More »
I asked Ocata CSO, Bob Lanza, for a comment on the big news of the acquisition of the company by Astellas. Here’s what he had to say: “I can say that this is an exciting time for regenerative medicine. The merger should greatly accelerate the pace of discovery, and, I hope, lead to treatments for …
Brief quote from Bob Lanza on Ocata acquisition by Astellas Read More »
Bombshell news in the stem cell field as Ocata Therapeutics (OCAT; formerly Advanced Cell Technology or ACT) is reportedly to be acquired by Astellas Pharma, Inc. The offer for purchase of OCAT will be $8.50/share or almost $380 million. For more details see this detailed PDF from Astellas. This quote on the deal form Ocata: “Paul …
Ocata bought by Astellas of Japan: initial perspectives on end of an era Read More »
A patient in Japan has reportedly filed suit against a fat stem cell clinic and has won a judgement of 1.84 million yen in total (about $15,000 USD). The Tokyo District Court reportedly ruled in favor of the patient and most of the award is reimbursement. Authors Ikka, et al report on the case and …
By Heather Main I was a little ashamed of myself that I didn’t know who half of the finalists were in Paul Knoepfler’s Stem Cell Person of the Year Award. I decided to look into it and find out what (or who) I have missed…..Interestingly, 3 of the 7 listed here are not scientists but …
Mini-bios on finalists for Stem Cell Person of the Year Read More »