When are iPS cell-based therapies ready to be tested in actual people? It’s the million or perhaps even billion dollar question of today in the stem cell field. I realize that perhaps it is also a dangerous question, politically-speaking, for me to ask in a public forum, but patient lives as well as potentially the […]
Back-to-back papers (here and here) in Nature Biotechnology report the transdifferentiation (now often simply referred to as “direct reprogramming”) of plain old fibroblasts into brain cells called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). OPCs are a remarkably useful kind of brain cell that generates myelin, which insulates nerves. OPCs are thought to have great therapeutic potential for
In my series eight simple reasons to pause before getting an unlicensed stem cell treatment from a non-compliant clinic I have covered the first five: (1) potential loss of insurance coverage for negative outcomes that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, (2) failure of patient follow up by the doctors and clinics, (3) exclusion from future clinical trial
Davis, CA and UC Davis are very unique. We were driving down to a favorite hiking spot, Putah Creek this past weekend, and noticed a sign along the way. It dawned on me just wildly unusual this sign we always drive by really is if you think about it (see at right). I think Davis,
Get your germplasm! Read More »
The Vatican Stem Cell Meeting 2013 has started. We are fortunate to have a guest blogger, John A. Carbona, CEO of BioLife Cell Bank, who is in attendance and kindly is giving us inside coverage of the meeting. Below is a guest blog from John on Day 1 of the meeting. We even have pictures.
Guest blog from inside Vatican Stem Cell Meeting by John Carbona: Day 1 Read More »
The poll I put up asking people their #1 top priority for FDA reform drew relatively big numbers of respondents. Speeding up clinical trials was clearly way out in front at #1. Expanding compassionate use was #2. These were followed by changing policy to no longer define lab-grown stem cells as drugs and FDA being
Results of FDA Reform Poll: speed up clinical trials & expand compassionate use Read More »
Let’s see how much you really know about stem cells…. [mtouchquiz 2]
Updated 2013 stem cell quiz: are you really a guru? Read More »
One of my inspirations as a stem cell blogger was the pioneering Nature blog, the Niche. I was disappointed when it ended in 2009, but it still is a model of what excellence in science blogging is all about. In this piece today, I interview the co-Founder of the Niche, Dr. Natalie DeWitt. DeWitt now
Interview with Natalie DeWitt, Founder of Nature’s pioneering stem cell blog, the Niche Read More »
Today is part of 4 (the last) of my interview with Dr. Arnold Caplan, MSC godfather and guru. You can read parts 1-3 of the interview here, here, and here. In this post I focus on my discussion with Caplan on translation of stem cells to patients and the FDA. During our conversation we talked about some
Interview with Arnold Caplan, Part 4: the FDA and the Future Read More »
Two emerging acronyms in the for-profit stem cell world that remain unknown to most academic stem cell scientists, but that are generating the most buzz are: SVF and CAL. These are two fat acronyms. What? These acronyms relate to adipose (fat) stem cell-based procedures. SVF stands for “stromal vascular fraction”. SVF is, for lack of
SVF & CAL are two fat stem cell acronyms generating a lot of buzz Read More »