Blog - Page 13 of 283

Textbook case of bad media on ‘stem cell treatment’ clinic: Kirk Cousins Caribbean trip

January 24, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 9 Comments

It’s frustrating to see so much bad media coverage of celebrity trips to clinics to get supposed stem cell treatment of various kinds. Part of the concern here stems from ordinary people taking risks by following the example of the famous people. Good journalism should ask tough questions, talk to experts, and not yield an […]

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Weekly reads: MiMedX & Kimera Labs FDA warnings, NYT on Bryan Johnson, MUSE cell trial

January 21, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 10 Comments

Placental biologics firm MiMedx and exosome company Kimera Labs both recently received FDA warning letters. The letter to MiMedx was related to its placental biologics products and procedures. The new warning to Kimera Labs was about its exosome products and an amniotic product. Let’s compare these letters starting with the one to MiMedX. MiMedx warning letter

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Fountain Life update: lawsuit by doc, high performance aging, Celularity trial plan

January 18, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / Leave a Comment

A New Rochelle doctor has filed suit against the healthcare clinic firm Fountain Life alleging fraud. Now seems like a good time for an update on the firm. Peter Diamandis along with Bob Hariri, life coach Tony Robbins, and surgeon William Kapp founded Fountain Life, an early detection-focused healthcare company. Are they also a longevity firm? To

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Weekly reads: Vertex & CRISPR Therapeutics, Arnold Caplan death, MS genetics

January 14, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 5 Comments

The biotechs Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics have an interesting relationship as biotechs. They are partners are multiple levels but also are very different as companies including in size. There’s been a key development in one of their partnerships. Before we jump into that, please check out the video version of my 20 stem cell and

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Put on a happy face? Perspectives on Mayo Clinic stem cells for heart disease Ph3 pub

January 11, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 6 Comments

One of the first regenerative medicine talks I ever saw was on stem cells for heart disease. I was still a trainee at the time. The professor, whom I won’t name, presented data from an early phase trial reporting that direct injections of some kind of cells right into the heart improved outcomes. Stem cells

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Dishing on biobots like xenobots & anthrobots vs. organoids

January 9, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / Leave a Comment

If you remember xenobots, mobile clusters of frog cells, now you might be interested to learn that some of the same team brings us human cell clusters called anthrobots. Both frog and human cellular clusters are considered types of biobots or robots made of cells. To me, anthrobots seem akin to human organoids or assembloids.

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Weekly reads: game of clones, super-SOX, Moonwalk Bio, Great Wall’s living skin

January 7, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / Leave a Comment

I’m trying to remember the first time I ever heard about clones. It had to be as a kid. Maybe in a monster movie or TV show? Possibly a clone was referred to by the more general term “double”, which is not necessarily a clone. Whatever it was, I’m sure as a kid that I

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20 stem cell & regenerative medicine predictions for 2024

January 3, 2024 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 4 Comments

Each year I make predictions for the stem cell and regenerative medicine field for the following year. Today’s prediction post is focused on what to expect in 2024. You can also see my stem cell predictions for 2023 and my grades on how I did. I also have made a video version of these predictions so please

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New Year’s reads: having a blastema, gene therapy cost, pathogen lab escape data

December 31, 2023 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 4 Comments

Years ago I wrote about how I wished humans could form a blastema, which is a special area of regeneration near an injury that drives tissue replacement. For example, when a lizard loses its tail to a pursuing bobcat, if it can regrow a new one that process will depend on a blastema. The same goes

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2023 The Screamers Science Hype Award goes to anti-aging media coverage

December 29, 2023 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 4 Comments

Every year I give out The Screamers Science Hype Award. The point of The Screamers is to raise awareness about science hype and catalyze new ways to combat it. In that spirit, I award what I see as the most extreme examples of science hype. Sometimes in addition to the one main winner, I give “honorable”

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