Research

Stem cell research.

The zoo that is stem cells on Reddit

crazy carnival, stem cells on Reddit

Can you learn important things about stem cells on Reddit? Yes, you can, but it’s a wild experience at times. Researchers may often think about stem cells through the lens of traditional routes of communication like academic journals, but laypeople turn elsewhere to learn about regenerative medicine. This includes digging into stem cells on Reddit. …

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Man could get 240 yrs for amniotic fluid for knees Medicare scam

A Justice Department press release details how a physician’s assistant (PA) in Texas was convinced of fraud related to amniotic fluid injections. This story tells us some important things about how Medicare handles things versus the FDA approach to such things. Amniotic fluid scam A jury found Ray Anthony Shoulders, a PA at a pain …

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Weekly reads: Google, CIRM, young Swedish bone marrow

Google stem cell side effects

For me, this was another week of heavy grant writing but also taking on Google again. How? Over how badly its search engine often performs on stem cell queries. I have a new piece at MedPage Today. It’s focused on the problem of Google Search promoting unproven stem cell clinic websites. Google still prefers stem …

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Weekly reads: Mammoth De-extinction update, space babies, Alzheimer’s, MSCs don’t help knees

George Church De Extinction Mammoth

What’s more important than Woolly Mammoth de-extinction research in the stem cell arena? Only maybe a 10,000 other things. Still, the mammoth de-extinction efforts  capture people’s attention much more than the average research story. Mammoth De-extinction update Is de-extinction only a pipette dream? This startup has a big, expensive plan to find out, Popular Science. …

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Weekly reads: new Sergiu Pasca pub, CRISPR chicken, human gene count update, stem cells in China

Sergiu Pasca, assembloid

Most of us have heard of organoids but what about the related model called an “assembloid”, which is a term growing in use including from organoid researcher Sergiu Pasca of Stanford? Before we jump into that, be sure to enter The Niche stem cell image contest for your chance to win $100 or some swag. …

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Weekly reads: stem cells for epilepsy from Neurona Therapeutics, diabetes, contagious cancer

Neurona Therapeutics, stem cells for epilepsy

People often ask me what are the most promising stem cell therapies in development and new data suggest we should add stem cells for epilepsy to the list based on work by Neurona Therapeutics. I’ll start off the weekly recommended reads with this new mouse paper on cell therapy for epilepsy. Neurona Therapeutics: stem cells …

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Strangest things I’ve seen & heard in research lab

elephant-300x224

Being in a research lab feels like hanging out in a second home to me. Maybe that’s because I’ve spent more than half of my life working in labs. Being a scientist has its challenges. However, at times it’s very exciting such as when a discovery is made. The lab can kind of buzz with …

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Goldwater Institute weighs in against FDA on Cell Surgical Network lawsuit appeal

Elliot Lander, Cell Surgical Network

An important appeals case is pending not just for the defendants Cell Surgical Network, et al., but also for the FDA. It could impact the stem cell field very broadly too. Cell Surgical Network lawsuit status Hopefully, we’ll get a decision before the end of this year. Cell Surgical Network is a large chain of …

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Weekly reads: stem cell therapy for eyes research, DMD, cheating death, cancer sensors

stem cell therapy

Many avenues are being pursued to get stem cell therapy to the clinic for eye conditions. These different approaches employ a variety of stem cell types. In some cases, such as with iPS cells, the stem cells themselves are not transplanted. Instead, the iPS cells are used to make differentiated eye cells, such as RPE …

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Weekly reads: HIV from vampire facials, CAR-T, FDA warns Regenative Labs

vampire facials

Imagine regularly having someone rub your face all over with the equivalent of a small roller covered with spikes and doused with either your blood or someone else’s and you have what’s called vampire facials. There’s more news that this is a very bad idea. Vampire facials linked to more HIV cases “Vampire facials” promoted …

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