The 60 Minutes show here in the U.S. has done sobering segments over the years on risky, unproven stem cell clinics, but now there is a new episode of 60 Minutes Australia that is the polar opposite: it mostly made a mess of things with its fluffy coverage of the story of a wonderful little […]
60 Minutes Australia Pushes Unproven Stem Cells for Cerebral Palsy Read More »
What’s Australia like from the science to the country? I enjoyed the ISSCR2018 Annual Meeting in Melbourne on stem cells and regenerative medicine a few weeks back(here is a post on the some of the notable science from Day 1), but I also got a chance to get to know Australia a bit too. Below I have
Fun pictures & 7 observations on the country from Australia trip Read More »
The ability of for-profit stem cell clinics to pitch unproven, risky stem cell offerings to patients may soon get much tougher in Australia. The country’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which has some similar responsibilities there as the FDA does here in the U.S., announced planned new reforms that’ll put stem cell clinics under more scrutiny and more
Australia takes big step to curtail dangerous stem cell clinics Read More »
Some recent developments in the stem cell world are worth a look. I’ve posted the headlines verbatim and the links to some of these stem cell news bites below. NIH Plans To Lift Ban On Research Funds For Part-Human, Part-Animal Embryos. NIH may allow funding of human-animal chimeras in certain cases. Stem cell ‘tourists’ flock to
Stem cell news bites: chimeras, Australian clinics, organoids & more Read More »
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 »
New research on stem cell patches is exciting. However, more broadly, “stem cell patches” can mean very different things. What I’m talking about here are the types of patches that can repair holes or other problems with tissues. This is a powerful regenerative approach. In contrast, I’m not a fan of the type of stem cell
Weekly reads: stem cell patches, helicase editing, hearing loss, Astellas, Dr. No Read More »
Remember cryonics, the idea that you could hit pause on human life? This relies on the super-cold power of liquid nitrogen or some other ultra-freezing method. Apparently cryonics is still a thing and there are people with even just their heads frozen. A new story claims a different way to hit the pause button on
Weekly reads: hit pause on human life, CIRM pause, 23andMe data, blast from the past Read More »
The International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy or ISCT is a great organization in our field. They have launched a new guide to help healthcare providers navigate this complex area. Click on the image below to check it out. This new resource is important because healthcare providers, researchers, and the public need authoritative information.
ISCT launches new resource on unproven cell & gene therapies Read More »
I’ve been following 24 stem cell stocks for a few years. I haven’t invested in them or any others recently, but rather just find them interesting. How are these doing in 2023? Mostly not great. In some cases, it is downright disastrous. Let’s take a quick look at four stocks very much in the news over
Australian biotech Mesoblast has had a rollercoaster ride working toward FDA approval of its mesenchymal cell therapy product remestemcel-L. They are seeking approval for use in patients with graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). More specifically, it is intended for pediatric patients with steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease, or SR-aGVHD. This is a serious condition and new treatment
Hoping for approval, Mesoblast says FDA wants new remestemcel-L trial Read More »