Stem cell research.
If you take a statin to improve your lipid profile, someday could you undergo LDL gene editing instead? Might that day be sooner than we think? A new paper has generated great interest in this topic including in the media. LDL gene editing For example, we have: One-and-Done Heart Disease Prevention? Scientists Show It May […]
I love science pictures. Even when I was a kid, images of science really struck me. I’ve been doing The Niche now for 16 years and come across many unusual pictures during that time. It’s hard to imagine that I started this site in 2010. What a different world that was. In some ways, it
A Japanese panel voted to move 2 iPS cell therapies forward for approval despite there being minimal clinical trial data. Let’s discuss the context and potential risks.
Japan panel OK’s 2 iPS cell therapies despite little data Read More »
Sometimes it feels like the stem cell and broader regenerative medicine field face an unending stream of challenges and difficult news, but there is also stem cell good news out there. I mean upbeat developments in the broader regenerative medicine space. That’s the focus of today’s post as the year wraps up with the top
Top 5 stem cell good news stories of 2025 Read More »
A new Retraction Watch story on a George Church retraction caught my eye. It’s his first retraction out of reportedly more than seven hundred publications for him. Here’s the story: Genomics pioneer George Church earns first retraction for anti-aging gene therapy paper. I highly recommend the piece as it has a lot of detail. It
1st George Church retraction: BioViva Rutgers anti-aging paper with Liz Parrish Read More »
I’m still waiting to see the first TV commercial on exosomes, umbilical cord cell injections for aging, or PRP. It’s got to be coming one of these days. Part of the problem is that I don’t really have time to watch TV most days. Maybe it’ll be an ad on the New York Times (NYT)
Weekly reads: MSCs, senescence, exosomes, primate aging, cancer stealing mitochondria Read More »
What are pericytes? What about brain pericytes? How are they different than brain parasites? Pericytes on the brain Someone once asked me my favorite type of cell. As a cell biologist, I easily can’t pick just one. It’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. However, I will say that pericytes and microglia
Ever heard of woolly mice? I hadn’t either until recently. The story begins with de-extinction research. De-extinction can be both cool and arguably a colossal waste of research dollars. The specific effort to de-extinct woolly mammoths fits that dual classification. Woolly mice on the road back to mammoths? Let’s dig into this with some news:
I recently looked at the organizational chart at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research or CBER. Why? I have been anticipating some possible big changes there with the new administration. After all, with HHS Secretary RFK Jr. having previously claimed that the FDA was suppressing various unproven things including at least two kinds
Weekly reads: CBER changes, Parkinson’s, 2-dad mice, NIH woes continue Read More »
What are coral stem cells? It turns out that even corals have stem cells and they can grow new corals. Six years ago I found myself in the lucky position of snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Stem cells were not on my mind. I did notice large areas of bleached and dead
Weekly reads: coral stem cells to the rescue, diabetes Read More »