I’m not a virologist, but I’m still getting asked these days about what the risks might be from the new generation of RNA vaccines for COVID-19. Approaching this question instead as a biologist and genetics/genomics researcher, I can see a handful of at least hypothetical risks. Below I discuss these possible risks and why I’m …
Why I’m planning to get a COVID-19 RNA vaccine: low, mostly theoretical risks Read More »
Here are some recommended stem cell and other reads for the week ranging from COVID developments to prosecutors finally catching up with a stem cell surgeon who had many patients die to a list of interesting pubs. Because Trump now has COVID, I wondered on Friday if he might consider trying unproven stem cells or …
Recommended reads: Yamanaka review, stem cell indictment, COVID, MYC, more Read More »
One of the most common questions that patients have asked me over the last decade is, “how much does stem cell therapy cost?” They actually seem most often to want to know more specifically how much the treatments should cost. To try to authoritatively answer this we need data from the present and past along …
Stem cells for MS? How promising is that? A new paper gives stronger reason for hope, but unfortunately this story is more complex than it seems on first glance. New Paper The idea of using a stem cell-related approach to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) has been around for a long time holding major promise, but …
Upbeat Burt team pub on stem cells for MS comes with uneasy back story Read More »
The past few weeks have brought some exciting, thought-provoking stem cell papers and developments in the regenerative medicine field. Here’s a list of stem cell papers in the media that struck me as particularly cool along with some other developments in the field. Human Stem Cells Fight Parkinson’s Disease in Monkeys Organoids Reveal Clues to Gut-Brain …
Cool stem cell papers: antibody reprogramming, organoids, gravity, & more Read More »
Can science now cure MS in some patients with stem cells or is that near on the horizon? What about stem cells for other serious autoimmune disorders? What are the risks to patients in terms of health, money, and hope? What if patients must find $100,000 or $200,000 just to get into a clinical trial for …
Burt Northwestern Stem Cell MS Trial Part 2: Marketing ‘Cure’-Like Outcomes? Read More »
Editor’s note. Caroline Simons attended both the April 28th (see her report on that here) and 29th Paris meetings on human gene editing/genetic modification. Today, we have her in depth report on the April 29th meeting. I have posted her piece in full with only minor edits. If you are in a rush you can …
In Depth Report from April 29th Paris Human Gene Edit Meeting Read More »
By Zubin Master Scientist Yoshiki Sasai, age 52, committed suicide and was found dead on August 5, 2014. Sasai was deputy director of the Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) at RIKEN in Kobe, Japan, and coauthor on two recently retracted Nature papers about a reportedly easier way to make induced pluripotent stem cells. The papers …
It was great being a postdoc in Bob Eisenman’s Lab at the Hutch in Seattle. I loved it. Bob is a great mentor (see more on my experience there here) and the scientific interactions in the lab were wonderful. It’s been fun and interesting to follow the work of my fellow former Eisenman lab members over the …
Cool paper by Cowley Lab on the role of HDACs in ES cells 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 …