Informational Archives

Defining epigenetic reprogramming, cellular reprogramming & rejuvenation

September 20, 2023 September 20, 2023 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / Leave a Comment

Epigenetic reprogramming is a term used in cell biology that is increasingly ending up in news stories too. Unfortunately, some folks, especially in the cellular rejuvenation and anti-aging space, are getting this term and other things confused. Just to start off, epigenetic reprogramming does not specifically mean cellular rejuvenation. The goal of today’s post is …

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Што се матични клетки?

June 28, 2023 June 28, 2023 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / Leave a Comment

Што се матични клетки? (Editor’s note: this is another in our series of stem cell outreach posts. This one provides key information on stem cells in Macedonian.) Што се матични клетки? Што се матични клетки? | Зошто се важни матичните клетки? | Видови на матични клетки | Што се иПМ клетки? | Иднината на терапиите …

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Can stem cell therapy for back pain work?

May 3, 2023 May 3, 2023 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 3 Comments

I often get asked about where things stand with stem cell therapy for back pain, which is the focus of today’s post. Back pain is a complex condition with many potential causes. New treatments are needed as existing approaches often don’t work that well. What about stem cells? Stem cell therapy or other cell therapy …

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Does NurOwn from BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics still provide hope for ALS?

February 22, 2023 July 29, 2023 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / Leave a Comment

Chaim Lebovits, CEO of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics.

What is the cell therapy for ALS called NurOwn? How strong is its potential as a treatment for ALS? I’ve been following the biotech BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics for many years. Patients keep asking me about NurOwn ALS prospects. They’re looking for hope. Today’s post is a close look at NurOwn and at BrainStorm as a …

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Why stem cell culture medium composition is such a big deal

January 12, 2023 January 12, 2023 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / Leave a Comment

Cells including stem cells are grown in liquid solutions called media and stem cell culture medium composition is crucial since the ingredients have a powerful impact on the cells. The media affects the cells’ identities and functions. It also impacts the risks of using specific regenerative products. My first job in science was isolating and …

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Desperately seeking stem cells: celeb quests for elixirs often mislead

January 10, 2023 January 9, 2023 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 3 Comments

What could go wrong with celebrities desperately hunting for stem cells as a fountain of youth? A flaskful of problems. Some famous folks can’t seem to get enough of stem cells, even if those supposed therapies are unproven and risky. In recent years, dozens of celebs have gotten stem cell procedures of various kinds. The …

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Updates on CRISPR therapy development and clinical trials

November 22, 2022 November 22, 2022 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / Leave a Comment

When I first heard of CRISPR gene editing I was excited for my lab to try it out, but it seemed a long way from the field having even one CRISPR therapy available to treat human disease. In the Knoepfler lab, we study genetic and genomic programming in human development and disease. Gene editing seemed …

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Clinical utility & examples of unipotent vs. multipotent stem cells

November 15, 2022 November 14, 2022 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 3 Comments

What are examples of unipotent and multipotent stem cells? More broadly, stem cells have the ability to do two key things. They can make more of themselves through a process called self-renewal. Also, they have the ability to differentiate into other cell types. This latter property is called potency. Taken together this means by definition …

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Germ or sex cells: DNA content, research, clinical applications

October 19, 2022 October 18, 2022 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 1 Comment

Germ or sex cells have many important implications for health and research. In today’s post the goal is to provide a helpful, comprehensive overview of these remarkable cells. Where does research on these cells stand today? It’s an exciting time. What are sex cells? | Are sex cells haploid or diploid? | Why are germ cells …

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