Sometimes it’s useful to ask questions like, “How many stem cells are in the human body?” As we try to answer them we end up going through key aspects of cell biology and stem cell identity more generally. How many stem cells in the human body? It might seem like possibly an easy question at […]
How many stem cells do we have & can you run out? Read More »
This was an unusual week in that three papers in a sense collided together related to embryo production and growth, raising new research possibilities but also serious ethical questions. New research: what is an embryo & what is not? The first two Nature papers reported generating the most realistic models of human embryos from scratch
Weekly reads: embryo pubs stir things up, organoids crying, & more Read More »
A new word has been added to the lexicon of human stem cell research – blastoids, aka “blastocyst-like structures.” Unlike the familiar three-layered embryo that emerges during the third week of prenatal development, the earlier blastocyst resembles a fluid-filled soccer ball, with a smear of cells on the interior face destined to develop into the
New lab-grown blastoids are strikingly similar to human embryos Read More »
It’s always great when there’s good news in the stem cell field and a new trial of stem cells for spina bifida here at UC Davis School of Medicine is very encouraging. So I’ll lead off with this story. Stem cells for spina bifida This pioneering work is led by Drs. Diana Farmer and Aijun
Weekly reads: stem cells for spina bifida & diabetes trials, pubs Read More »
Those of you following the arena of unproven stem cells might recognize the name Dr. Joseph Mercola. He’s a promoter of alternative medicine. Over the years his name has also popped related to the marketing of unproven stem cell offerings in various ways. Now the FDA has warned Joseph Mercola on what it says are unapproved
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What might be most surprising about this week’s recommended stem cell research reads is there’s nothing about COVID-19 in here. There are, however, some really great papers. And we can expect more developments on the cellular medicine for COVID-19 front coming soon. Before I jump into the reads, if you haven’t already check out our
Weekly stem cell research reads: BAF, Polycomb, Fertility, More Read More »
The title of a new article in Stem Cells and Development may seem audacious to those unfamiliar with the plight of the northern white rhino and the promise of induced pluripotent stem cells. But “Rewinding Extinction in the Northern White Rhinoceros” may turn out to be accurate for what a genetically diverse stem cell bank
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Sometimes change takes a very long time, but with brain organoids or advocating for better information for patients at Clinicaltrials.gov, after waiting you can see some interesting developments. These are two of the regenerative medicine stories of the week, along with some striking research papers. Clinicaltrials.gov Some of us have been advocating for improvements at
Regenerative reads: brain organoids, Clinicaltrials.gov change Read More »
There are weeks when it seems like papers on stem cells keep popping up. It can be a challenge to keep up with reading all the papers you want to read. Other times it is cell biology news that keeps breaking. The big news of the past week or so was unfortunately the concerning development
Recommended reads: stem cells on the brain, heart, COVID Read More »
Recently I was going through a list I’m updating of regenerative medicine biotech companies including Bluebird bio. Now just a few days later the world seems turned upside down for the firm and maybe to some degree for other companies doing related work. Bluebird bio blues: 2 trial participants get cancer News broke today that
Bluebird bio sickle cell gene therapy trial halted on cancer worry Read More »