In the biomedical sciences we do a huge number of experiments on cells grown in culture including human cell lines. Where do all these cells come from? It’s an important question to ask. I got my first job in science as a fairly low level technician working at UCSD in La Jolla and my main […]
Where do my cells come from? Read More »
I love Picnic Day. Picnic Day is a celebration of everything about UC Davis, all of our fun and all of what makes UC Davis such a cool, unique place. A big part of Picnic Day is the Cal Aggie Band or Band-uh. One of my daughters and I were out for a walk tonight
Picnic Day: A celebration of what makes UC Davis awesome! Read More »
The heat is rising in a push to deregulate dubious adult stem cell therapies and it is Republicans turning up the thermostat on this emerging pet issue of theirs. We’ve seen the Texas Medical Board passing weak rules for regulating adult stem cell therapies under pressure from Rick Perry and adult stem cell biotech, Celltex.
Stem cell deregulation push is deadly serious threat to the field and patients Read More »
Being in academic science makes me wish for more hours in the day. There are so many demands on my time that time has become the most precious of commodities. In academia often times there is a drive to say “yes” to almost all requests that come your way. However, that is a recipe for
The power of “no”. Read More »
If Mitt Romney, God forbid, were terminally ill suddenly and the only thing that could save him were embryonic stem cells (ESC), would he get the treatment? Or would he have faith that upon his natural and pure death that abstaining from Pepsi (oops, sorry, stem cells) he would go to the gates of heaven
Shocker: Romney, Pepsi, Stem Cells, and Death Read More »
The leading cause of death in America and many other countries of the world is cardiovascular disease (CVD) including heart attacks and strokes. In fact, CVD kills and disables more people than most often top killers combined including cancer. The myth that CVD is a “man’s disease” only makes the situation worse as in reality CVD
Transdifferentiation meets gene therapy to tackle heart disease Read More »
Long-time television and music personality, Dick Clark, has passed away at age 82 today. Growing up as a kid in the 1970s and 80s, I knew Dick Clark from American Bandstand and $20,000 pyramid, but more than that I knew him for how amazingly young he always looked. I was not a big fan of
Lessons from Dick Clark about aging and stem cells Read More »
Is Vitamin D a miracle drug or a disappointment like almost all other vitamins? Just recently there was a piece saying that Vitamin D may reduce pain. Today there was another news article saying Vitamin D may protect men against more aggressive prostate cancer. You name the condition and Vitamin D is claimed to help with
Vitamin D: is this supplement helpful or hype-ful? Read More »
What’s the real story on adult stem cells? Do they really have little to no risk? As a self-proclaimed fan of stem cells, including adult stem cells, I often find myself writing and talking about them to a large, diverse audience. I’ve become a stem cell ambassador of sorts. However, I am also a realist
The real, but oft-ignored risks of adult stem cell treatments Read More »
What are the top 10 stem cell events of a crazy 2012 to date? Based on this wild list in just over 3 months, I would say 2012 overall will prove to be a memorable one. 1. Celltex and McGee versus University of Minnesota’s Turner and Elliott. Glenn McGee, at one point both editor of American
Stem cell stories of a crazy 2012 so far including Celltex Read More »