As many of you know, I did a post this week on an article in The New Scientist that many readers had complained to me about. Their concerns and mine as well centered on two points. First, the article seemed at a factual level to be confusing and written in a People Magazine-esque style that […]
More on The New Scientist and stem cells Read More »
In mid-November the Catholic Church, in fact the Vatican itself, will do something it has never done before in its very long existence. It will hold a conference on stem cells. Perhaps equally unusual and of interest is the fact that the basis for this conference is a $1 million (USD) gamble by the Vatican
More on the Vatican $1 million gamble on NeoStem and their upcoming conference in Rome Read More »
Why does it worry me that the Vatican is having a stem cell conference? One of the hallmarks of Democracy is separation of church and state. When states mix religion into politics and government, the results have during human history been disastrous. Equally dismal has been the relationship between religion and science. Ever since the
The Vatican Stem Cell Meeting…is mixing religion and science a good idea? Read More »
What the heck happened to The New Scientist? An anti-embryonic stem cell piece they just recently published was an exercise in weird, moral obfuscation. Quite a few scientists and policy makers are fairly regular readers of The New Scientist. They might start reconsidering how they want to spend that $99/year. Why not use it to
The New Scientist goes after ES cells with strange opinion piece Read More »
When I talk to people about stem cell science and the timeline for turning data into treatments and cures, their reactions completely depend on whom they are. Scientists are patient, perhaps too patient….perhaps too understanding of the many years that we are told that science takes to get something to the clinic. Patients and patient
Is it fair to tell a patient to be patient? Read More »
Stem cell sports medicine is emerging as a new area of medicine. As the list of star athletes and other celebs that have received dubious stem cell treatments grows longer, I don’t think there is any question but that this turn of events will be the spark that drives hundreds of ordinary people to get
Stem cell sports medicine: a miraculous or disastrous combo? Read More »
There has been concern for months about the direction that the European Union was heading in regards to intellectual property (IP) rights and stem cell patent approaches. Now, a definitive decision banning embryonic stem cell (ESC)-based patents by the EU Court has dealt a severe blow to stem cell science in Europe. The European Court
Anti-cure impact of Errant EU stem cell patent decision Read More »
There are many stories in the news about stem cells right now. Some of the stories are positive and some are negative in terms of the actual news. A separate issue is that some of the stories do a good job, while others are very inaccurate or use the news to confuse and push their
Stem cells in the media today: the good and the ugly Read More »
It was only a few weeks ago that I reported that the federal government would very soon be taking more legal action against purveyors of dubious, potentially illegal stem cell treatments that might even be called a stem cell scam. Here’s the first of what is likely to be many more actions. Many media outlets
Doctor indicted in Vegas for alleged fake stem cell scam Read More »
For better or worse, I am in the unique position of being a stem cell scientist and also a patient. Looking on the bright side this gives me a unique perspective on things. I know there are thousands of people out there looking for more practical information about stem cell therapies and treatments. These folks
Key facts for a patient about stem cell treatments Read More »