The Oklahoma State Legislature is reportedly poised to potentially pass an outright ban of ES cell research. While in the past similar legislation was vetoed by previous Oklahoma Governor, Democrat Brad Henry, current Republican Governor Mary Fallin is likely to sign the legislation. The Oklahoman newspaper website today contains a factually incorrect, inflammatory piece by …
If a stem cell could talk, what would it say or tweet? I imagine stem cells like teenagers. So much potential but at times difficult or unpredictable. Below is my take on what a stem cell being prepared for transplantation would Tweet. Life is too short to always take everything 100% seriously so here’s some …
Can one creature directly give another creature cancer? It appears so in dogs and that cancer is highly contagious. When we think about transplants of cells, we think about hospitals and high-tech equipment used to give patients stem cells or other types of cells to help treat them for a disease. Generally cancer patients are …
Contagious cancer: the allograft your dog doesn’t want Read More »
As we have blogged before, there are a host of different beliefs about embryonic stem cell research and about when life begins. This diversity of perspectives is sprinkled across the globe. Too often in the U.S. people take an ethnocentric view of this question, believing that everyone else should think the same as they do. …
A perspective on U.S. embryonic stem cell research from Israel Read More »
There is a kind of invisible cultural wall between patients such as cancer patients and biomedical scientists like me, but this wall does not have to exist and indeed it is a negative wall as patients, scientists, doctors, agencies, and advocates can achieve far more together than apart. But the wall is surprisingly strong. Last …
It has been a rollercoaster few months between the anti-hESC court cases as well as Geron and Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) receiving the OK from the FDA to proceed with initial clinical trials of stem cell treatments. It’s OK to be excited about the clinical trials and I for one am, but we have to …
Challenges translating stem cell treatments to patients Read More »
The FDA has given Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) the go ahead to begin their clinical trial using retinal progenitor cells derived from hESC by clearing the company’s IND application, bringing hope to those with vision loss and even blindness. The trial will be a combined Phase I/II to treat Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy and has huge …
One question I am frequently asked by readers and colleagues is “what other stem cell blogs or bloggers can you recommend that are written by a stem cell scientist and updated on a regular basis?” The simple but surprising answer: there are none. It’s lonely out here in cyberspace! (2020 update: The good news today …
How many scientist bloggers does it take to change a light bulb? Read More »
Dr. James Sherley, the scientist behind the lawsuit against federally-funded ES cell research, has penned an opinion piece in The Daily Caller today calling on NIH to, in his words, ‘do the right thing.’ However, what Sherley is really asking is for the NIH, other stem cell scientists, and all Americans to think like he …
James Sherley of anti-ESC lawsuit calls on NIH to think like he does Read More »
About one in ten people around the world will develop osteoarthritis (OA) at some point in their lives. In the U.S., it is the major cause of disability. This is an extremely serious illness in terms of its impact on society. At this time there is little in the way of effective treatments for OA. …
Osteoarthritis stem cell research moving forward Read More »