The big news of the week was a $3.6 million settlement by a stem cell clinic, StemGenex, and one of its doctors in a class-action suit.
I covered this StemGenex settlement and so did Michael Hiltzik of the LA Times and Paul Schloesser at Endpoints. I’d say this was good news for the stem cell field and patients.
Also, the Niche has some good news too as our stem cell YouTube channel continues to do well and we’re above 400 subscribers so please subscribe to help us spread the word.
Recommended reads
Lamin B1 deletion in myeloid neoplasms causes nuclear anomaly and altered hematopoietic stem cell function, Cell Stem Cell.
DNA replication fork speed underlies cell fate changes and promotes reprogramming, Nature.
AC010973.2 promotes cell proliferation and is one of six stemness-related genes that predict overall survival of renal clear cell carcinoma, Scientific Reports.
Jamie Thomson, who first characterized human embryonic stem cells, has announced his retirement.
An extinct rat shows CRISPR’s limits for resurrecting species, ScienceNews. Here’s the original research paper: Probing the genomic limits of de-extinction in the Christmas Island Rat. Current Biology.
Patient in Groundbreaking Heart Transplant Dies, NYT. This is very sad news. The transplanted heart in this case came from a genetically modified pig. The genetic changes in the pig were intended to make rejection much less likely. This kind of research hopes to provide more organs in the coming years and decades for the vast numbers of patients waiting on organ transplant lists.
It’ll be important to learn the cause of his death and if his immune system rejected the pig heart.