COVID-19

FDA OK’s more COVID-19 efforts of unproven stem cell clinics

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In my view, it seems likely that the FDA has opened a big can of worms by starting to clear the COVID-19 trials and programs of for-profit stem cell clinics and other related firms. OK to Stemedica trial The FDA just approved another such effort, this one by the firm Stemedica. You can read more about …

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Recommended reads: Bee brain, COVID, from Russia with stem cells, pubs

Reprogramming-roadmap-reveals-route-to-human-induced-trophoblast-stem-cells

Reading to them was one of my favorite things to do with my kids when they were little, but it’s a long way from Goodnight Moon to this week’s list of recommended reads, although “bee brain” may have got their attention. Please take a minute to complete our The Niche reader survey for a chance …

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Recommended reads: PSC, COVID, FDA pledge, sci jobs

Sarthy-et-al-eLife-2020-Fig-2

When you sit down to read science on the weekends lately, assuming you are not primarily a COVID-19 researcher, how much COVID stuff seeps into your reading? As I was going over some of this year’s recommended weekly reads posts here on The Niche, I’ve realized that an increasing amount of COVID-19 research has joined …

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FTC fires off many warnings to stem cell clinics on COVID-19

BioXcellerator-warned-by-FTC-over-stem-cells-for-COVID-19-has-many-promotional-videos.-This-is-a-screenshot-from-one.

The FTC has sharply increased its oversight activities against stem cell and regenerative clinic firms. These new actions include quite a few warning letters. Here is the FTC database for COVID-19-related warning letters. Note that recently the FTC added a new, helpful option to view all of its warning letters here. It’s a good source …

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Recommended reads: FDA warning, COVID updates, stem cell pubs

Tao-et-al-Stem-Cell-Reports-2020-Fig.-1c-small

What’s been going on in the stem cell and regenerative medicine field over the past week and what are some worthwhile things to read? Today’s post has recommended recent reads from the scientific literature and the media. I’ve also got our weekly stem cell/regenerative medicine quiz question and the answer to last week’s. You can …

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Politics & FDA OK of 2 stem cell clinic COVID-19 efforts

Anand-Srivastava

The FDA and its CBER branch have been doing a good job overall in the last 3+ years to tackle the unproven stem cell clinic problem, but lately on the stem cells for COVID-19 front there is reason for real concern. I believe the agency is taking on major risk overall by clearing a vast number of …

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Overselling stem cells for COVID-19: WSJ article & UMN PR

cell therapy for COVID

Many are  jumping on the bandwagon of trying stem cells for COVID-19 or testing other cellular therapies for the novel coronavirus disease, but there have been problems with either the rationales for the trials themselves or more often with how they portrayed. Sometimes there has even been outright hype. I’ve called this collective trend of …

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Recommended reads: COVID-19 updates, FDA stem cell nod, PRC2, more

Fig.-3d-Rai-et-al-Nature-Communications-2020

Today’s post is the latest edition of my weekly recommended reads, which this week include Fate Therapeutics, COVID-19 updates, AAMC, and more including some great pubs such as one on 2 modes of PRC2 function. Also check out this handy resource: Helpful 2020 List of Stem Cell Journals and this blast from the past post of 10 …

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Weekend recommended reads: Athersys, ALS, COVID-19, Fibroblasts, Zoom brain

Fibroblasts-regeneration

What are you reading these days and does it include topics like cell therapies for COVID-19, ALS, regenerative potential of fibroblasts, and why Zoom meetings are so tiring for the brain? I cover those topics and more below with recommended reads including papers and media items. Here’s last week’s recommended reads. Here’s to fibroblasts, which …

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