Was Einstein wrong on his definition of insanity? “Insanity”, said Einstein, “is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” But in science, how sane is it to expect experiments to give precisely the same results? How big a problem is irreproducibility in science? Experiments on that question have given variable […]
Was Einstein Wrong About Insanity? Read More »
What’s the deal with IntelliCell Biosciences, headed up by Dr. Steven Victor? Sometimes science can move at warp speed and that is even more true of the stem cell field. One stem cell establishment that seems to be in a particularly intense period of activity and that has drawn a great deal of attention lately
Interview with Dr. Steven Victor of IntelliCell Biosciences (SVFC) Read More »
IntelliCell BioSciences, Inc. of New York, a clinical stem cell establishment, has had a rough time of it lately. For example, a recent piece of bad news is that there is an impending foreclosure sale of the company’s assets. What exactly that means for the company more broadly remains unknown, but a few people tell me (take this
New FDA IntelliCell BioSciences, Audit Report: A Lot of Work to Do Read More »
What is the deal with the crazy hullaballoo over the so-called stem cell test tube burger? On the surface, this pseudo-burger sounds kinda cool in a geeky, comic book kind of way, but when I dug just a little deeper, it turns out I’m left asking: where’s the beef? After the burger was mentioned briefly on
Where’s the Beef? Reality Check on Test Tube Burger Baloney Read More »
This is the fourth post in a series I’m doing on an FOIA release of letters between Texas stem cell clinic Celltex and the FDA. The first three posts, which include helpful background and discussion of other FOIA material from Celltex, can be found here, here, and here. Today’s post is focused on a newly
Celltex FDA FOIA Letter #3 Raises Key New Questions Read More »
Over at Health in the Global Village, Leigh Turner yesterday published an excellent piece updating us all on the latest news on Korean stem cell company RNL BIo (알앤엘바이오) and its leader, Dr. Jeong Chan Ra (라정찬 ). Addition: The story was reported in several Korean news outlets including Hani here. A video here by MBC News of Korea, one
Jeong Chan Ra Arrest: Can RNL Bio (알앤엘바이오) Survive? Read More »
In a rare sign of stem cell international regulatory unity, the Japanese Health Ministry (厚生労働省) and the US FDA have agreed to develop a joint, unified regulatory framework for clinical studies of human iPS cells for use in treating retinal diseases. Presumably the rules would also guide clinical use of iPS cells to treat other
FDA & Japanese Health Ministry (厚生労働省) To Develop iPS cell clinical rules Read More »
In response to a FOIA request, the FDA informed me that they are continuing to investigate Texas stem cell clinic, Celltex. The firm has been flying somewhat under the radar lately. They have not responded to multiple requests for comments on various issues. The FDA indicated to me that what they can release in terms
FDA still investigating clinic firm Celltex Read More »
When you want to both know the real history of the pluripotent stem cell-based biotech industry and perspectives on its future, there are only a handful of people to turn to and one of them is definitely Dr. Michael West, CEO of BioTime. I’m doing a several part series of blog posts on a lengthy
BioTime CEO Mike West Interview Part 2: Geron & hESC Read More »
This is a guest post on ISSCR 2013. By Dr. Susan Lim A record 4100 delegates attended the 11th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), held at the Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston from 12-15 June 2013. Co-sponsored by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, the Meeting featured 7 Plenary
Delightful overview of ISSCR 2013 by guest blogger Dr. Susan Lim Read More »