Last year around this time I presented my first stem cell awards of the year, in that case for 2010. You can see whom I thought deserved awards here. Now it is time for our 2011 stem cell awards. These awards reflect my opinions and those not mentioned will hopefully forgive me as there is …
Sometimes a top scientist makes news with a quote on research and that happened with Ian Wilmut recently on stem cells. Move away from research on human ES cells (hESC) in favor of very new and still largely unclear trans-differentiation technology? I say, no way. But, Bradley Fikes of the North County Times has reported …
Ian Wilmut, Dolly’s dad, says dump hESC? What does this mean? Read More »
This past week a paper came out in Nature that reported the successful production of human ES cells using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology. It is no exaggeration to say that this paper generated massive international media coverage, in part because of the links between this technology and the potential for human cloning, both …
Why all the fuss about SCNT-derived ES cell paper? Read More »
This morning on day two of the World Stem Cell Summit here in Pasadena, Rudy Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute gave the scientific keynote address. It was a fabulous talk. Jaenisch, accurately described by Bernie Siegel as a true giant of the stem cell field, outlined the key issues facing the field of highly pluripotent …
Jaenisch’s 5 key action items for the ES and iPS cell field Read More »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nWsanSmAxw The stem cell field is exciting and the technology powerful. Not surprisingly there is a great deal of intense behind the scenes rumors about various hard to believe developments and news stories that also seem incredible. One such line of gossip was that the FBI was poised to crack down much more severely on …
George Bush deserves credit for iPS cells? No way. One of the weapons in the war against stem cell therapies is the use of a seemingly simple word: “ethical”. What does it mean to do ethical science in general and in particular what is ethical stem cell research? Who decides? According to the opponents of …
News flash: George Bush deserves credit for iPS cells? Read More »
Stem cell-based regenerative medicine has the potential to help treat not only humans with injuries or illness, but also veterinary patients such as dogs and horses. Is it also possible that stem cell technology could prevent extinction of endangered species? A recent paper suggests this may be the case. The paper in question by a …
iPS cells and endangered species: a recipe to avoid extinction? Read More »
It has been a week to think about mentors and I posted somewhat autobiographically on how to find and be a good mentor a few days ago. Also along these lines, I asked one of the great mentors of all time, Irv Weissman, about his early career and who were the mentors that made the …
Human cloning is coming. Maybe not to a Walmart near you, but it is coming. And by human cloning, I mean reproductive cloning, not therapeutic cloning which is a totally different cup of tea. The cloning I’m talking about is where you duplicate a human being. Despite efforts to prevent human cloning, such as a …
Justin Beiber or Einstein or you? Who gets cloned first? Read More »
I’ve been lecturing on stem cells as a professor here at UC Davis School of Medicine for many years so I can answer common questions such as “What are stem cells?”. The medical students ask many great questions. They are always interested in clinical applications. The goal of today’s article is to help you have …
What are stem cells? Definition & what they are used for Read More »