For me, this was another week of heavy grant writing but also taking on Google again. How? Over how badly its search engine often performs on stem cell queries. I have a new piece at MedPage Today. It’s focused on the problem of Google Search promoting unproven stem cell clinic websites. Google still prefers stem […]
Weekly reads: Google, CIRM, young Swedish bone marrow Read More »
At the beginning of the year I wrote about a new kind of biotech called Altos Labs. It’s very different in some ways from other institutions. I find it an intriguing research entity. Where do things stand now with Altos Labs a few months later? More information, new ideas, and questions have popped up in the
Altos Labs: mission, leadership, jobs, & CIRM Read More »
When we hear the word senile we might think stereotypically of an older person who has cognitive impairment, but some argue that senility can apply to cells too as they age and that such cells can be targeted by drugs called senolytics. Unfortunately, the supplements industry has picked up on this idea to sell iffy
Recommended reads: senolytics, cow iPS cells, big CIRM royalty Read More »
Approval of Prop 14 California last month to renew CIRM was one of the biggest state election developments of 2020. Yet it didn’t get much news coverage somehow. The exception is David Jensen over at California Stem Cell Report, who has been a great source of information about the various news surrounding Prop 14 and
Prop 14 California: Big Expectations for CIRM 3.0 Read More »
The State of California is considering re-funding its stem cell agency, CIRM, to the tune of more than $5 billion dollars, but the issue has generated surprisingly little media attention. The main coverage has been by David Jensen over at California Stem Cell Report. Prop 14 polling data non-existent in public domain To my knowledge,
Prop 14 polling on CIRM re-funding stays moderately upbeat Read More »
Back at the beginning of the year I surveyed you readers here on The Niche about the future of CIRM and whether California voters would approve more funding for it in November. That funding effort is now on the ballot as Proposition 14. A month earlier late in 2019 in my yearly 20 predictions for
Polls: will California approve Prop 14 to fund CIRM again? Should it? Read More »
Should California’s Stem Cell Agency, more widely known as CIRM, get another round of funding from us California voters? I believe the answer is yes and I endorse Proposition 14, which would provide the funding for CIRM to translate dozens of clinical trials into some proven new stem cell-based treatments in the coming decade. However,
Seth Rogen is a stem cell pitching Prop 14 for CIRM in funny new video 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 »
The California Stem Cell Agency, better known by the acronym CIRM, has done a vast amount of good over the past decade and a half, and today it needs your help for the future. CIRM, which stands for the “California Institute for Regenerative Medicine”, has funded a huge array of stem cell and other research
Please take a couple minutes now to help fund future of CIRM Read More »
I recently started 2 polls on the future of CIRM. The polls are focused on the effort led by Robert Klein to get more funding from the State of California for the stem cell agency. They asked readers about whether Californians will refund CIRM and whether Californians should refund CIRM. Basically, the polls are asking
Upbeat poll results on the future of CIRM funding Read More »