I’m doing a series of interviews with leaders in the field on human germline modification with the first interview in this series with George Church and today’s second in this series is a conversation I had with Dr. Jennifer Doudna, a pioneer in CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Doudna is a Professor in MCB and Chemistry as well …
Jennifer Doudna Interview on CRISPR, Human Gene Editing Read More »
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how the future of human reproduction might be very different from today’s reality due to recent technological advances including cloning. Things like human cloning (the reproductive, “Star Wars” kind) and human genetic modification seem very real now. It feels almost imminent in a sense compared to the milleenia …
Daisuke Takakura 高倉 大輔 Powerfully Captures Cloning Read More »
The big stem cell news already this week is the acquisition by Fujifilm of Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) for a whopping $307 million dollars or about $16.50 per CDI share. You can read the press release here. Update: The entity is now known as Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics. It was less than two years ago that CDI did …
Was Fujifilm CDI acquisition a good move by the companies? Read More »
Discussion of concerns over heritable human genetic modification has spiked in 2015. This dialogue is a good thing, but is it in a sense too late? Are genetically modified (GM) people a foregone conclusion? Rumors are swirling that upwards of four papers reporting production of GM human embryos are in various stages of review at high-profile …
By Jane Langille A few weeks ago, I wrote to Dr. Paul Knoepfler after reading his book Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide because I was intrigued by his stem cell theory of aging. I wondered if his theory might mean that someone who mobilized and donated hematopoietic cells might be shortening their own lifetime supply. After …
Risks for Healthy PBSC Donors? One Family’s Powerful Experience Read More »
In a new perspectives piece in Science, Nobel Laureate David Baltimore and co-authors including Jennifer Doudna and George Church, chart a potential path forward for human germline engineering. See also accompanying Bioethics piece by Gretchen Vogel as well, “Embryo engineering alarm”. In the piece, entitled “A prudent path forward for genomic engineering and germline gene …
David Baltimore, et al. path for human germline engineering Read More »
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) just now released a new policy statement on human germline gene editing. The statement calls for a ban on clinical application of human germline gene editing technology. Here is the brief summary statement at the beginning: The International Society for Stem Cell Research calls for a moratorium on …
You might enjoy the recommended reads below and find they surprise and educate you. Products in the pipeline – Ocata’s RPE by Alexey, a nice update on Ocata. Yes, we are seeing more attacks on academic freedom: guest post by historian of science and medicine. Guest piece by Alice Dreger on her new book, Galileo’s Middle Finger. …
Note that you can register for ISSCR Stockholm here and the early registration deadline is today, March 11. Even without ISSCR Stockholm is a city worth visiting! There is no Eiffel Tower, Colosseum or Big Ben but Stockholm is one of Europe’s best kept secrets and the most beautiful European city I have visited. This …
Tips for Visiting Stockholm During ISSCR 2015 by Heather Main Read More »
Here are some papers and news for weekend reads. What are you reading this weekend? What are your go-to stem cell journals? Hostile Takeover: Glioma Stem Cells Recruit TAMs to Support Tumor Progression by Yu Shi, Yi-fang Ping, Xia Zhang, Xiu-wu Bian in Cell Stem Cell. YAP1 Regulates OCT4 Activity and SOX2 Expression to Facilitate self-renewal and …
Weekend Reads: Cool Papers, PubPeer, Jacob Hanna, & More Read More »