Latest Posts
- New Walgreens shopping list: q-tips, aspirin, & cutting-edge gene & cell therapies
It takes a lot to surprise me these days in the cell therapy and regenerative medicine space, but some news from Walgreens stopped me in my tracks yesterday. The firm most well known for its drug stores and pharmacies has been struggling recently. Perhaps as a way to try to turn things around, they recently … New Walgreens shopping list: q-tips, aspirin, & cutting-edge gene & cell therapies Read More »
- Recent stem cell & regenerative medicine good news
Looking for some stem cell good news? You’ll like today’s post. One mission of this blog The Niche is to promote rigorous science-based regenerative medicine, which can lead to investigating and writing about not-so-upbeat stuff. Risky clinics. People getting hurt. Patient lawsuits. Serious FDA, FTC, or state AG regulatory developments. Such actions can be good … Recent stem cell & regenerative medicine good news Read More »
- Recommended reads: John Cleese, surprising human embryo study, stem bank scandal, reprogramming & aging
If you remember Monty Python, then you probably recall John Cleese. We’ll start with Cleese’s stem cell baloney. Not spam. Secret to eternal youth? John Cleese extols virtues of stem cell treatment, The Guardian. I’ve written before about John Cleese’s stem cell anti-aging efforts. As I told the author of The Guardian piece, I love … Recommended reads: John Cleese, surprising human embryo study, stem bank scandal, reprogramming & aging Read More »
- Recommended reads: police act on phony autism cure, Aspen starts Parkinson’s trial, reprogramming to iBlastoids
People often ask me about stem cells for autism or even their hope of an autism cure. I’ve explained that there is no new treatment for autism based on stem cells. There aren’t even mildly encouraging data. Note that it can be hurtful to the community to talk about an autism cure and disregarding neurodiversity. … Recommended reads: police act on phony autism cure, Aspen starts Parkinson’s trial, reprogramming to iBlastoids Read More »
- US clinics selling unproven RGCC cell therapies in addition to SOT
I wrote a few weeks ago about a firm called RGCC or Research Genetic Cancer Center, which sells what I see as an unproven RNA therapy to clinics throughout the US. The approach is called supportive oligonucleotide therapy or SOT. After buying it from RGCC, the clinics then sell SOT injections for Lyme disease, other … US clinics selling unproven RGCC cell therapies in addition to SOT Read More »
- Weekly reads: abundant Abcam prices, speedy aging & cancer, stemmy CAR-T, more on STAP
When a vendor of important reagents like antibody supplier Abcam charges big money, those high Abcam prices could negatively impact research in the long run. Some of the prices are so high that buying just a few antibodies could take up a small but meaningful slice of an entire R01 grant. Sky-high Abcam prices I’ve … Weekly reads: abundant Abcam prices, speedy aging & cancer, stemmy CAR-T, more on STAP Read More »
- Perspectives on new stem cells for paralysis paper & media coverage
A new paper on stem cells for paralysis from a Mayo Clinic team has sparked a bit of legitimate hope but also some hype in the media. The publication was in Nature Communications. It is entitled “Intrathecal delivery of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in traumatic spinal cord injury: Phase I trial.” The approach was direct injection … Perspectives on new stem cells for paralysis paper & media coverage Read More »
- Weekly reads: immune rejuvenation, Cryo-Cell spin-off, stem cell patches, direct reprogramming
What is immune rejuvenation? How would that work and what would be the benefits? As we age, our immune systems can change in unhelpful and unhealthy ways. One such change is a drift in the balance of production of different kinds of immune cells. Such a shift can lead to too many of some immune … Weekly reads: immune rejuvenation, Cryo-Cell spin-off, stem cell patches, direct reprogramming Read More »
- Weekly reads: heterochromatin, H3.3, Mesoblast bump
My lab is focused in part on chromatin states in stem cells and cancer including heterochromatin. In fact, my lab’s website is chromatin.com. Heterochromatin is dense, often inactive chromatin. By H&E staining and electron microscopy, heterochromatin looks dark compared to the rest of the nucleus, largely composed of euchromatin. Toward the end of my postdoc … Weekly reads: heterochromatin, H3.3, Mesoblast bump Read More »
- Georgia AG & FTC win Superior Healthcare stem cell clinic case, seek $17 million
An unproven Georgia stem cell clinic called Superior Healthcare and other co-defendants recently lost a key court case. Some of you may remember that the Attorney General (AG) of Georgia Chris Carr and the FTC have been collaborating on this case. Now we have the good news that they have won the case via a … Georgia AG & FTC win Superior Healthcare stem cell clinic case, seek $17 million Read More »