March 2016 - Page 2 of 3

Stem cell headlines: half a genome, Australian snake oil, CRISPR patent battle

March 20, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 6 Comments

There’s a lot going on in the world of stem cells making for many striking headlines lately. Here are some stem cell headlines that caught my attention. Haploid Stem Cells Created. Could these cells be used to make germ cells? Charlatans and snake-oil salesmen ‘hijacking stem cell therapies’ in Australia In the CRISPR patent fight, the Broad Institute gains edge. The CRISPR-Cas9 patent …

Stem cell headlines: half a genome, Australian snake oil, CRISPR patent battle Read More »

Sacramento amniotic stem cell clinic advertises again, but by another name

March 19, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 5 Comments

Remember Nervana Stem Cell Center? This is an amniotic stem cell clinic here in the Sacramento area, which I’ve posted about before here and here. One big question about Nervana remains unanswered: is its apparent marketing of amniotic stem cells for arthritis and other conditions is OK with the FDA? Another question has been, “who are …

Sacramento amniotic stem cell clinic advertises again, but by another name Read More »

Trump on Science: Poll & His Words

March 18, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 6 Comments

How would Donald Trump, if elected president, impact American science? Would Trump on Science be a good thing, bad thing or somewhere in between? Would he “reject” the NIH budget? Might he even personally reject some grants, “Your R01 is fired” just for fun? And, yes, I know I’m biased. Take our poll. Can we …

Trump on Science: Poll & His Words Read More »

You can’t retract a designer baby: #CRISPR, social justice, & risks

March 17, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 4 Comments

There’s a questionable notion floating around out there in the numerous discussions over heritable human genetic modification. This idea goes that if germline human gene editing goes awry for any number of reasons, scientists could simply reverse it by applying genetics again. The reversal notion does not fit with the reality of science as we …

You can’t retract a designer baby: #CRISPR, social justice, & risks Read More »

Cons Outweigh Potential Pros to BPC Plan on Stem Cells & FDA

March 15, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 23 Comments

There is considerable interest in FDA regulatory reform here in the U.S. for stem cell therapies. The goal is to get new treatments to patients faster, but is there a way to do that without sacrificing proven safety and efficacy? You need convincing data on both safety and efficacy or speed becomes dangerous. A group called …

Cons Outweigh Potential Pros to BPC Plan on Stem Cells & FDA Read More »

Follow up Gene Editing Meeting to be Held in Paris in April on Human CRISPR

March 14, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D.

Back in December, the US National Academies held a first of its kind meeting on human gene editing. Keeping the dialogue going, there is a follow up meeting planned for April 29 in Paris, France. The Paris meeting is described this way: “Upcoming Public Meeting in Paris The consensus committee will host a public meeting …

Follow up Gene Editing Meeting to be Held in Paris in April on Human CRISPR Read More »

New Stem Cell Clinic Trial for Alzheimer’s: Perspectives & Questions

March 13, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 6 Comments

A team at the University of Miami has launched a claimed first of its kind stem cell clinic trial for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The trial seems somewhat unique in using mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for AD and is being run with biotech Longeveron. You can read more on the actual clinic trial including all the …

New Stem Cell Clinic Trial for Alzheimer’s: Perspectives & Questions Read More »

A hunch on that CRISPR patent battle as it heats up

March 11, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D.

Who really invented CRISPR? If it was many people and labs, who did it first and who deserves the credit? When things like Nobel Prizes and Patents get decided on CRISPR-Cas9, who will be for lack of a better way of putting it, the winners and the losers? It’s not a trivial question and despite …

A hunch on that CRISPR patent battle as it heats up Read More »

To stem cell clinics: do your homework & take FDA “current thinking” seriously

March 10, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 2 Comments

One of the difficult things about the regulatory sphere that covers stem cells in the US is that many aspects are confusing or puzzling both to the public and so-called experts. We’ve been talking through some of the questions that come up in this area in posts and comments on this blog. What does a warning …

To stem cell clinics: do your homework & take FDA “current thinking” seriously Read More »

Eureka: Endogenous Stem Cells Regrow New Lens for Cataracts

March 9, 2016 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 4 Comments

A team of researchers from Sun Yat-sen University in China and here in California at my graduate alma mater UCSD has published a remarkable, new report in Nature reporting human lens regeneration in cataracts. This is a truly amazing idea that endogenous stem cells can regrow new lenses. I wonder if we are on a path to someday …

Eureka: Endogenous Stem Cells Regrow New Lens for Cataracts Read More »

Month: March 2016