Search Results for: stem cells for MS

Jaenisch’s new, complicated iPS paper in Cell: what the heck does it all mean?

The iPS cell field has had a relatively quiet 2012 so far, but one recent paper has drawn particular attention in the last 10 days. I’m talking about the paper from Jaenisch’s lab on iPS cells in Cell. Quite a few people are excited, but also scratching their heads a bit as to what this […]

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L’Oreal Lancome gets hammered by FDA, why kid gloves for clinics?

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Stem cell cosmetics is an exploding area ranging from facial creams (e.g. from L’Oreal and its Lancome) to face lifts to boob jobs to baldness treatments (see two key posts here and here for background and great stories). The stem cell cosmetics field has not been held back by issues such as the fact that

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Real and imaginary conflicts of interest: a helpful guide

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What are Conflict of Interests (COI)? The term COI is sometimes used inappropriately as a weapon by one party to attempt to discredit others. We see this more and more frequently in the stem cell field with boosters of for-profit, non-FDA vetted adult stem cell clinics attacking scientists for supposed COIs for what…..apparently for simply

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Please tell Guv Jerry Brown to sign the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act

Please support the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act. It’s in Jerry Brown’s hands now. This will take 1 minute of your time and make a world of difference. How to get in touch? You may contact Governor Jerry Brown by mail at: Governor Jerry Brown, c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916)

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Analysis: what does the federal court embryonic ruling really mean & what’s next?

Knoepfler lab stem cells

Today the US Federal Court of Appeals via a 3-judge panel ruled in favor of continued NIH funding of human embryonic stem cell research (hESCR). The ruling is a setback for pro-life extremists trying to shut down a very promising avenue of stem cell-based regenerative medicine with their lawsuit. It’s a good day for the

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NASA’s wickedly up & down week: broader lessons about science & medicine

All science, whether biology or physics, whether microscopic or at the solar system level, is about experiments. Sometimes we as a society forget that. In fact, experiments are at the heart of investigations as diverse as studying cells to exploring space to medical treatments. For NASA, the last week has been a tale of two

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Give prostate cancer the finger! Amazing pants and great resources

Give prostate cancer the finger! Gotta love those pants even if you hate the exam. Cheers to John Daly for having the guts to wear such amazing pants to draw attention to prostate cancer. Prostate exams are no fun to put it mildly, but they help in early detection of this very common disease that

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More Celltex Q&A: we are not a drug manufacturer

I’m enjoying Celltex’s new website and I’m appreciative of their great responsiveness to my questions. Transparency is a beautiful thing! My latest question to them was whether they, given that the FDA called them a “drug manufacturer”, are now planning to or have already filed an IND. An IND is an application for an investigational

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Updated: Do Vulcans Get Prostate Cancer and get surgery for it?

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It’s been a big couple months of headlines in the news for prostate cancer. I’m a prostate cancer survivor and cancer biologist so I spend probably more than my share of time thinking about prostate cancer and from a number of angles. A few days ago I got a test result suggesting I’m still in long-term

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