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Weekly reads: abundant Abcam prices, speedy aging & cancer, stemmy CAR-T, more on STAP

April 14, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 3 Comments

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 […]

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Perspectives 10 years after STAP cells: the culture of science, misconduct, & hopes for progress

January 29, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 6 Comments

Exactly ten years ago today, on January 29, 2014, I wrote about two new Nature papers on so-called STAP cells. The papers claimed that stress alone could convert regular non-stem cells into some of the most powerful stem cells. More specifically, the authors claimed to make pluripotent stem cells similar to iPS cells this way.

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STAP cell deja vu? 28 VSEL papers flagged by Bik

December 3, 2020 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 8 Comments

The stem cell field has puzzled on and off for years over a constellation of papers on purported stem cells including so-called VSEL and MUSE cells. Many of us haven’t been convinced that these are real stem cells. I see VSEL and MUSE fitting into a larger pattern of dubious stem cell claims including the STAP

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4th Obokata retraction after Harvard investigation: STAP saga finally over?

February 13, 2020 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / Leave a Comment

Retraction Watch broke the news that Haruko Obokata of the STAP cell train wreck now has a 4th paper retraction. The publication related to the controversial idea that adult tissues have pluripotent potential or actual pluripotent stem cells in them so it was kind of foundational for the debunked STAP cell idea. It also reminds

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Whatever happened to the STAP cell scientists including Haruko Obokata?

November 14, 2019 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 3 Comments

Once upon a time this blog and major outlets around the world were regularly writing about a Japanese stem cell researcher named Haruko Obokata (小保方晴子). Whatever happened to Obokata and the other folks directly involved in STAP cell research? First, a bit of background because maybe still a few people never heard of STAP cells

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Anversa debacle vs. STAP cell train wreck & what’s next

October 28, 2018 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 3 Comments

Remember when the Piero Anversa situation first made news or at least when you first heard about it? In the public domain, it was back around April 2014. I didn’t even do a whole post on it, but rather it made two bullet points in a post about a set of bad overall news including the latest

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STAP cells (stap細胞) are real deal says new Vacanti patent declaration

January 10, 2017 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 14 Comments

STAP is back? Really? No, I don’t believe so, but there’s an interesting development and twist on the STAP cell front. Just a few days ago on January 4, 2017 Dr. Charles Vacanti, the originator of the STAP cells concept, submitted a declaration to the USPTO affirming the belief that STAP cells are real and requesting that

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Haruko Obokata (小保方晴子) website posts dubious STAP cell validation data

May 23, 2016 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 3 Comments

Haruko Obokata is most well-known for her role as first author of the now retracted two STAP cell Nature papers. These manuscripts claimed to have made pluripotent and even totipotent stem cells simply by stressing cells out with acid treatment or in other ways. Nobody else could get this method to work to create the so-called

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Haruko Obokata (小保方晴子) launches new website with STAP claims

March 31, 2016 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 8 Comments

Even as the book of Haruko Obokata (小保方晴子) had been fading in popularity on Amazon Japan (update: it is now increasing again), there is some other news with her as she has launched a new website. The website, STAP Hope Page, seems to often not work now, but you can also see it here via

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Weekend reads: sperm, stem cells, chimeras, STAP, DNA Apps

February 27, 2016 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D.

Here are some cool science reads to enjoy this weekend. Lab-grown sperm made from stem cells can’t swim, but are able to fertilize eggs, reports Eric Boodman over at STAT. Mouse-human neural crest chimeras: Not only a matter of black and white. Clever title. Antonio Regalado writes about a DNA App Store coming soon to a

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