Search Results for: patient deaths

8 simple reasons not to get an unlicensed stem cell treatment part 2: lack of follow-up

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I’m doing a series of posts on straightforward reasons why patients should not get unlicensed stem cell treatments. Part 1 of the series was on the risk of losing medical insurance coverage. Today is part 2, which is focused on a serious failing of many for-profit, point-of-care stem cell clinics selling unlicensed treatments: lack of […]

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WSJ editorial on issue of stem cells as drugs misses the boat

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Dr.-Scott-Gottlieb

Today there is an editorial piece in the WSJ about the recent court ruling giving the FDA authority to regulate stem cells grown in culture as drugs. As a stem cell scientist, I read this opinion piece with interest. Unfortunately it is behind a paywall, but I have outlined and discussed the key issues below.

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Celltex versus University of Minnesota: support for Elliott and Turner

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Recently, there has been a brewing controversy surrounding a journal called American Journal of Bioethics (AJOB), a company called CellTex, a bioethicist named Dr. Glenn McGee who founded and used to run AJOB until he recently resigned, and two University of Minnesota professors, Drs. Carl Elliott and Leigh Turner who have been publicly critical of

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Put on a happy face? Perspectives on Mayo Clinic stem cells for heart disease Ph3 pub

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stem cells for heart disease

One of the first regenerative medicine talks I ever saw was on stem cells for heart disease. I was still a trainee at the time. The professor, whom I won’t name, presented data from an early phase trial reporting that direct injections of some kind of cells right into the heart improved outcomes. Stem cells

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Weekly reads: Verve Therapeutics, Casgevy UK OK, GDNF, MYC

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Sekar Kathiresan, Verve Therapeutics

Some folks can view data from early, small clinical trials too skeptically or overly enthusiastically, and maybe that’s going on with some preliminary results from Verve Therapeutics. Good news? Bad news? I’m going to start with two articles about the same news that have very different vibes. What do I think? On the whole, I

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Does NurOwn from BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics still provide hope for ALS?

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Chaim Lebovits, CEO of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics.

What is the cell therapy for ALS called NurOwn? How strong is its potential as a treatment for ALS? I’ve been following the biotech BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics for many years. Patients keep asking me about NurOwn ALS prospects. They’re looking for hope. Today’s post is a close look at NurOwn and at BrainStorm as a

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FDA OK’s more COVID-19 efforts of unproven stem cell clinics

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The-FDAs-big-COVID-stem-cell-clinic-can-of-worms-small

In my view, it seems likely that the FDA has opened a big can of worms by starting to clear the COVID-19 trials and programs of for-profit stem cell clinics and other related firms. OK to Stemedica trial The FDA just approved another such effort, this one by the firm Stemedica. You can read more about

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