Katie Thomas at the New York Times reports that BARDA has dropped considering funding applications for stem cells for COVID-19. The move is part of a larger shift in funding priorities away from lung treatments and toward vaccine development. The decision has puzzled and even angered some stem cell firms and researchers. BARDA stands for …
BARDA drops funding of research into stem cells for COVID-19 Read More »
Organoids are providing a novel avenue into the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and novel models for drug screening. A number of new preprints on respiratory organoids shed new light in this area. They were highlighted in a Nature newsy piece, Mini organs reveal how the coronavirus ravages the body. It’s a challenge to study COVID-19 infections because just infecting …
Weekly reads: organoids, COVID-19, CIRM & cool new pubs Read More »
Today’s post lists the best stem cell blogs and more generally the top biology blogs as well as websites. Making lists of “the best” of anything is fun yet tricky. However, I feel that it can also serve a purpose as a resource. You might also enjoy these other “top” lists I’ve done including List of …
The FDA dropped a lengthy, extremely critical warning letter on a supplier of unproven exosome product called EUCYT Laboratories. For broader context, exosome therapy has somehow burst onto the scene when there’s no good data yet in my view to back up its use in the clinic. The FDA is taking notice with letters already sent …
Getting 30 F grades? FDA Strongly Warns Exosome Firm EUCYT Read More »
My weekly roundups of biomedical news tend to focus on stem cells, but I read more broadly so it’s not just stem cells but also CAR-T cells and a lot more this week. CAR-T cells as senolytics? A team led by Scott Lowe has a new intriguing paper in Nature on using CAR-T cells to …
Weekly roundup: CAR-T cells, exosomes, trout cloning Read More »
It was fascinating to read a new JAMA piece by the FDA on unproven stem cell clinics and other regenerative medicine firms. Many of these guys are profiteering off of buzz about exciting, but mostly unproven technologies. While the JAMA opinion piece reiterates the agency’s commitment to evidence-based regenerative medicine, it also makes some other …
Striking FDA Hahn & Marks JAMA pub on regenerative clinics Read More »
One of the most common questions that patients have asked me over the last decade is, “how much does stem cell therapy cost?” They actually seem most often to want to know more specifically how much the treatments should cost. To try to authoritatively answer this we need data from the present and past along …
My lab and I are fortunate that in our Sacramento-Davis area there are relatively few COVID-19 cases, but what kind of COVID-19 risk mitigation plan should one use for a careful lab ramp-up plan? COVID-19 shouldn’t be the “elephant in the lab”, but should be discussed openly. Communication is probably one key to optimal ramp-up. …
Research lab ramp-up plan & real-world tips to lower COVID-19 risk Read More »
The term Regenerative Medicine covers so much biomedical science these days including everything from just about any kind of cell therapy (not just stem cells) to CRISPR gene editing, and with the the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems this umbrella use of the term now includes potential treatment of viral illnesses. It can be hard to …
Update on stem cells for COVID-19, Surgisphere scandal Read More »
The Medical Board of California has been aware of the unproven stem cell clinic problem here for many years, but in my view the Board isn’t helping the problem in a real, meaningful way. It may actually be becoming part of the problem through inaction and lack of cooperation with other agencies. If by the …
Medical Board of California is slowly failing on stem cell clinic problem Read More »