Month: July 2017

Big 5 questions anticipating Mitalipov human embryo CRISPR paper

human-embryo-modification

The human embryo CRISPR paper with Shoukhrat Mitalipov as senior author is coming soon. It will reportedly be focused on the use of CRISPR to genetically modify viable human embryos for reversal of a disease-associated mutation. While strangely press already broke early on this paper last week, as much as a week before the paper …

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Who leaked Mitalipov CRISPR human embryo paper?

CRISPR-human-embryo

The new CRISPR human embryo paper from Shoukhrat Mitalipov is stirring things up, but then there’s also the murky back story as to how the news of this as yet unpublished paper got leaked in the first place. The actual paper is still not out and from what I understand hasn’t even been officially released …

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In first for U.S., Mitalipov reportedly CRISPR’d human embryos & it was great

Early-human-embryos

More CRISPR’d human embryos, but this time in America? MIT Tech Review is reporting that Oregon scientist Shoukhrat Mitalipov has used CRISPR on human embryos in his lab in the US. Apparently a paper is in the works on this. While details are sketchy and some specifics remain to be clarified to be sure of …

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Stem cell clinic-related biz threatens researcher with lawsuit, wants retraction

turner-leigh

University of Minnesota bioethicist Leigh Turner has been threatened with a lawsuit by a stem cell clinic-related business. Lawsuit threats in this arena come up every so often and as much as they are unpleasant realities, they can also reveal some important aspects of the stem cell arena. Ars Technica reported yesterday that Leigh’s recent paper …

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3 Ways Stem Cells Theoretically May Help John McCain Beat Brain Tumor

John_McCain_brain-cancer-e1500667982554

I was really sad when I heard about John McCain’s diagnosis with a glioblastoma, a particularly nasty type of brain tumor that we study in my lab when it shows up in children. My own battle with prostate cancer starting almost 8 years ago might have sensitized me to this news even though I’m in …

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TGIF: stem cell weekend reads & links

Paul-et-al.-Figure-2G-J

Here are some stem cell weekend reads for your enjoyment along with various links and headlines. Some science pubs that caught my eye: Human Neural Stem Cell Biodistribution and Predicted Tumor Coverage by a Diffusible Therapeutic in a Mouse Glioma Model High-Content Screening in hPSC-Neural Progenitors Identifies Drug Candidates that Inhibit Zika Virus Infection in …

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Upcoming Right-To-Try debate: NYU’s Roxland and Goldwater’s Sandefur

Right-To-Try-Debate-Roxland-Sandefur

Should patients have the Right To Try experimental therapies that could be unsafe and ineffective? What if those patients have a terminal illness and no reasonable prospects of being helpful to conventional medicine? Doesn’t it make perfect sense to let them try a risky approach if they want to do so? On the other hand, …

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Blunt comment from stem cell industry insider in defense of RTT & Texas Law

Texit-stem-cells-e1493612428995

My recent post on the push for National Right-To-Try (RTT) including a detailed comment from ISSCR stirred some animated feedback. In the spirit of encouraging diverse discussion, here I am posting a striking comment I received from a stem cell industry insider regarding that post on RTT as it relates to stem cells and s/he was especially …

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A hairy question: stem cells to cure baldness 2017?

Stem cell for hair loss

Stem cells to cure baldness? I get asked all kinds of questions as a blogging professor including about the use of stem cells for cloning of humans, sexual enhancement of some kind (see posts here and here) and even that question above about stem cells to cure baldness. Many want to know if a real baldness treatment is coming based on …

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