stem cell politics Archives - Page 3 of 4

Celltex advocate Rick Perry will not run again for Texas governor: stem cell impact

July 10, 2013 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 4 Comments

Texas Governor Rick Perry just announced that he will not run again for governor. This political development has important impact in the stem cell field, particularly in the state of Texas. Perry is one of the biggest advocates of certain types of adult stem cell commercialization. When he is no longer governor there will be impact […]

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2 decades as cell biologist tell me grown stem cells are drugs

July 28, 2012 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 28 Comments

Stem cells grown in culture are drugs. Agree or disagree? I believe it is a correct statement. I don’t think it is even a question any more as it was a few months ago. Yes, I am convinced that the FDA, as supported by a recent federal court ruling, has it right that growing stem

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Open letter to Rick Perry: how Texas can lead on stem cells

May 22, 2012 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 6 Comments

Dear Governor Rick Perry, Yesterday I came down very hard on you in a post for your visit to the Scripps Research Institute in California and the video that was made about it. (2020 update: Rick Perry is still plugging Celltex after 8 more years!) Maybe I was a bit over the top… However, it got

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Rick Perry visits human embryonic stem cell lab at Scripps Institute

May 21, 2012 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 7 Comments

Please note that this is one of the only instances in the history of this blog that I have retroactively edited a post for what I believe was an error on my part related to what I feel was overly extreme verbiage. I have also subsequently been informed confidentially of more of the facts of

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Obama giving up on embryonic stem cell research?

April 27, 2012 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 19 Comments

Is Obama bailing out on support for embryonic stem cell research (ESCR)? As even casual readers of this blog easily surmise, I am a supporter of President Obama. I believe he has done a good job in his first term and deserves re-election. I also believe Romney would not be a good president, particularly as

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Stem cell surprises on April Fools Day

April 1, 2012 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D.

What would be the most foolish, surprising, fun stem cell headlines on April Fools Day? 1) Family Research Council surprises world by announcing at April 1 press conference that they endorse embryonic stem cell research and arguing that it has great promise. They advocate pursuing both adult and embryonic stem cell research to help the

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Anti-stem cell activists target Kraft, Campbell’s and Nestle

March 30, 2012 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 3 Comments

Anyone getting tired of those anti-stem cell activists folks slamming Pepsi for supposedly using stem cells in their flavor research, when in reality the cells in question are not stem cells? Maybe the Pepsi-haters are too as they are now reportedly on the case of Kraft and Nestle too as well as Campbell’s, which makes

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The Research Works Act Would Be An Epic Fail

February 25, 2012 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 3 Comments

There is a bill being considered here in the U.S. called the “Research Works Act”. This is without a doubt one of the dumbest bills I have ever heard of in my life. The bill is bad for science and bad for America. If passed it would be an epic fail for America. Why? This

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A critique of the Witherspoon Institute stem cell report

January 31, 2012 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 16 Comments

Lately I have been critical of an ultra-conservative political think tank-like foundation called the Witherspoon Institute. They have recently joined the federal lawsuit as friends of the plaintiffs suing to stop federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. The Witherspoon Council has just published a 100+ page report on stem cells in the very conservative, somewhat obscure

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Is Obama anti-science?

January 30, 2012 / Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 2 Comments

When I make the argument as I have repeatedly on this blog and in other contexts that as a whole the Republican Party and its leadership are anti-science, one of the counter arguments fired back at me is that Obama is himself anti-science. My initial reaction to this “Obama is anti-science” argument is somewhat visceral,

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