I want to discuss a recent development with Humacyte and the FDA, but first, please check out a new video below that is a discussion between student Parmin Sedigh and me on the idea of stem cells for heart disease. Parmin has also written for The Niche and has her own site too. I am impressed […]
Weekly reads: Humacyte, retinal stem cells, stem cell therapy for knees & hearts Read More »
How bad could things get with RFK Jr. changing the FDA’s approach to unproven stem cells? I’ve been asking myself this for months since Kennedy’s post that mentioned stem cells on X. New developments suggest things will get much worse. Up until about a week or two ago, my feeling has been that things could
“Very scary”: Per Marks, RFK Jr. aiming for weaker regs on unproven stem cells Read More »
Peter Marks resigned last week as CBER director and now Dr. Scott Steele is the new acting biologics branch director. Marks resigned under pressure and went out firing back, referring to lies and other issues of HHS Secretary RFK Jr. One of the first things I thought when I heard about Marks’ departure was, “who
Most of us want longevity, especially if our quality of life remains generally solid as we age. The combination of length and quality of life is sometimes called “healthspan.” How do we get the maximum health span? Easier said than done. Not all of the obstacles are biological either. Unfortunately, accompanying all the legitimate research
Weekly reads: Topol on longevity biz, Peter Marks out at FDA, timeless NIH grant advice Read More »
Jay Bhattacharya just got confirmed to lead the NIH yesterday. In that role, there are reasons to think he may discourage or even stop some important research and funding. As a stem cell biologist, I’ve been looking out for indications of possible restrictions on our field’s work during the new administration. Bhattacharya’s statements signal potential
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya could oppose fetal tissue & some stem cell research Read More »
Chinese CRISPR research continues to grow and this includes interesting CRISPR biotech firms. Some here in the U.S. worry that American gene editing firms could be lagging behind. Especially over the past year, investors and even some scientists have voiced frustration. U.S. gene editing firms like Editas have been struggling for years. Its stock is
Weekly reads: Chinese CRISPR biotechs, cultured meat war, MSCs for Alzheimer’s Read More »
The Japanese stem cell and regenerative medicine oversight system is different than here in the U.S. and in Europe. Japan has had a more permissive approach to overseeing regenerative medicine. While most of the attention has focused on fairly legitimate regenerative biotechs and other sponsors in Japan, there are unproven stem cell clinics there. These
Japanese stem cell clinic oversight: the case of MSC clinic Seijikai Fukuoka Read More »
I had a feeling late last year that I’d frequently be writing about RFK Jr. and his impact on the FDA. However, I didn’t realize some of that would be writing for STAT News. As I mentioned a few days ago, I now have a new regular column over there. I thought the column would
Weekly reads: RFK Jr. stem cell summit, FDA OKs eye cell therapy, cartilage repair Read More »
I have a new biomedical science column called Lab Dish over at STAT News. Every month or so I will write an opinion piece, often focused on new developments in the field. What’s the focus of Lab Dish? As a cell biology professor, I’ve made a conscious decision to write beyond the usual academic stuff
About Lab Dish, my new column at STAT News Read More »
Ever heard of woolly mice? I hadn’t either until recently. The story begins with de-extinction research. De-extinction can be both cool and arguably a colossal waste of research dollars. The specific effort to de-extinct woolly mammoths fits that dual classification. Woolly mice on the road back to mammoths? Let’s dig into this with some news: