Every now and I then I try to take some time to think about the focus of this blog and the direction it is going. In the most recent case, I got the feeling that perhaps I have giving too discouraged or negative an impression on the blog lately….focusing too much on the challenges and …
Why I am very optimistic about the future of the stem cell field Read More »
I recently did a poll on people’s reactions to the new paper reporting use an all-chemical approach to making iPS cells through cellular reprogramming. I got a good number of responses relatively quickly. The results so far suggest that by far most people think it is too soon to know the importance of this new …
What does homologous use mean? Navigating the arena of clinical use of a biologic such as stem cells or differentiated cells made from stem cells can be challenging. There are many important issues including what defines “minimal manipulation” of biologics such as cells. One particular issue that is critically important and has drawn less attention …
Time to bone up on homologous use in the stem cell field Read More »
I’m doing a series of posts on my recent conversation with BioTime CEO and pioneer of the stem cell field, Dr. Mike West. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 on Geron, ACT, and the history of the pluripotent stem cell field, particularly embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Today in Part 3, I am focusing on …
Mike West Interview Part 3: key flaw in stem cell field Read More »
The Board of Directors of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) announced today that they have voted to dissolve the organization. CAMR is effectively at an end. The CAMR Board has decided, as described in an email, to “transfer its mission and its resources to an outstanding colleague organization, the Alliance for Regenerative …
We had the big news last week that for the first time ever, human embryo cloning (aka “therapeutic cloning”) worked to produce apparently normal embryonic stem cells. I posted about it a few times here, here, and here. I have tried my best to be factual, open minded, and realistic about the issues. Frankly, the …
I recently did a post and a poll on whether a blogger scientist should blog about a very weak, but sexy paper from a famous, powerful scientist in the stem cell field whom I called “Dr. Famous”. The poll is still getting a lot of responses so I’m not going to discuss the results yet …
The identity of Dr. Famous of the stem cell field Read More »
Recently I spoke about cancer stem cells at a retreat. The presentation style was informal and enjoyable as it allowed for people to talk frankly about topics. It encouraged questions and outside-the-box thinking. As I was eating some yogurt at breakfast at the meeting awaiting my turn to speak, I decided I would scrawl my …
My ‘back of napkin” list of top action items for cancer stem cell field Read More »
Every year I make predictions about what the following year will bring us in the stem cell field. For example, last year I made some predictions for 2012 and I shortly will do a post on my predictions for 2013. First, how did I do with my predictions for this year, which I made in …
I recently attend a conference in Florida called The World Stem Cell Summit. It was very enjoyable and unique in that it brings together and is open to all constituents of the stem cell world. I gave a couple talks and did an “expert” luncheon at this meeting, but what I enjoyed most was talking …
Perfect storm dodged: what are three key challenges for stem cell field going into 2013? Read More »