I’ve ended up learning a lot about multiple sclerosis (MS) while writing The Niche for the past twelve plus years, but I’ve never seen anything like the new research linking EBV and MS. EBV stands for Epstein Barr Virus. The reason I’ve learned much more about MS while writing here is that there has been […]
Stronger link between EBV and MS brings concrete clinical hope Read More »
I’m taking a short break today from working on a big grant to put out this weekly reads post including on Sox transcription factors, cord blood paper controversy, and other interesting papers such as one on CTCF and chromatin domains after mitosis that really struck me. I can actually see blue sky today here in
Weekly reads: CTCF, Sox transcription factors, Clinic fires back, more Read More »
It’s been a little quiet here on The Niche for the past week as I was off in Yellowstone National Park, but I’m back with this week’s recommended weekly reads including a section on organoids. First, I want to share a nature pic from the trip. A highlight was encountering a badger in Lamar Valley
Weekly reads: badgers, organoids, The Onion, & more Read More »
Sometimes things in the stem cell world get complicated and this week is no exception with news of Orchard Therapeutics dropping a seemingly life-saving clinical trial. There are hundreds of kids who could possibly benefit. Rotten apple decision from Orchard Therapeutics From David Jensen at California Stem Cell Report we have something of a scoop:
Weekly reads: Orchard punts on life-saving SCID trial, cardioids with cavities, more Read More »
There are many ways to classify different stem cells. These differences include yours versus someone else’s cells. Another distinct in a clinical sense is what we call an autologous vs allogeneic stem cell transplant. This post is focused on the difference between allogeneic (someone else’s cells) and autologous (your own) stem cell injections. As a
Autologous vs allogeneic: all you need to know on therapy Read More »
This was an unusual week in that three papers in a sense collided together related to embryo production and growth, raising new research possibilities but also serious ethical questions. New research: what is an embryo & what is not? The first two Nature papers reported generating the most realistic models of human embryos from scratch
Weekly reads: embryo pubs stir things up, organoids crying, & more Read More »
What are the current FDA Approved Cell and Gene Therapies? In the past many of us have wished there was a list of FDA-approved stem cell therapies. Patients and fellow scientists often asked me, but I couldn’t find a list. As a result, I made a comprehensive list of FDA Approved Cell and Gene Therapies,
List of FDA Approved Cell and Gene Therapies Read More »
Recently I was going through a list I’m updating of regenerative medicine biotech companies including Bluebird bio. Now just a few days later the world seems turned upside down for the firm and maybe to some degree for other companies doing related work. Bluebird bio blues: 2 trial participants get cancer News broke today that
Bluebird bio sickle cell gene therapy trial halted on cancer worry Read More »
What do a Panama stem cell clinic and the Duke Autism Center have in common? More than I might have imagined. It’s a remarkable story that needs telling. Duke Autism Center There is a puzzle when it comes to the controversial idea of using cord blood for autism. Why? Because two of the strongest proponents
Duke Autism Center has Panama clinic to thank for $10s millions? Read More »
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is counterintuitive In the weeks and months following a transplant, a major concern is the recipient’s immune system rejecting the “foreign” biological material. But in GVHD, the opposite happens: transplanted tissue unleashes a horde of T cells that spark a cascade of inflammation, within 100 days. Typically, GVHD follows a bone marrow
Mesoblast MSCs Quell Peds GvHD; On Road to FDA Approval? Read More »