The title of a new article in Stem Cells and Development may seem audacious to those unfamiliar with the plight of the northern white rhino and the promise of induced pluripotent stem cells. But “Rewinding Extinction in the Northern White Rhinoceros” may turn out to be accurate for what a genetically diverse stem cell bank …
I’m playing catch-up on some reading given how busy I’ve been and this includes a groundbreaking NEJM pub on CRISPR for Sickle Cell and Thalassemia. CRISPR for Sickle Cell From December, here’s the key paper in the NEJM: CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing for Sickle Cell Disease and β-Thalassemia. There’s a lot to like about this clinical …
Recommended reads: CRISPR for Sickle Cell, Parkinson’s, & more Read More »
The Niche has had many authors over the years, focusing on expertise in the biomedical arena and in particular related to stem cells. I’ve invited many authorities in particular areas to write posts. Over the years I’ve written probably 99+% of the posts here on The Niche, but we’ve also had some great guest authors …
Back in 2013, a half dozen years ago, I went out on a limb and made predictions for the stem cell field for 2020. These are different than my yearly predictions for the coming year (for instance, you can see my predictions made in 2018 for this year of 2019 here). As to my 2013 …
7-Year Glitch? Updates on my overly optimistic 2013 stem cell predictions for 2020 Read More »
We’re seeing more muddy waters in the stem cell universe. A chiropractic stem cell and alternative medicine clinic has popped up calling itself, of all things, CIRM. On another front, an already controversial docuseries set to air tomorrow combines interviews with prominent academic stem cell scientists and unproven stem cell clinic folks, muddying the waters. …
Muddy waters: stem cell clinic calls itself CIRM & docuseries sparks controversy Read More »
Who are the top stem cell and regenerative medicine influencers to follow on Twitter and elsewhere in 2019? Terrapin asked this kind of broad question to some within our community about 5 years ago and came up with a Top 50 list of stem cell influencers, which I like to joke I was “at the top …
50 stem cell influencers on Twitter to follow in 2019 Read More »
In Parkinson’s Disease patients develop neurological dysfunction as they lose a special kind of brain cell called dopaminergic (or dopamine) neurons. While a number of different approaches to this disease have been studied for decades, nothing has proven particularly successful in slowing its progression. As a result there has been a big need for novel thinking …
Hope on Parkinson’s front: Japan IPSC trial 1st patient Read More »
By Jeanne Loring Stem cells boldly go… Last week at the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) conference at Rockefeller University in New York City, we announced our collaborative project to study the effects of microgravity on neurons derived from patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells. The press release is here. Susan Solomon, the CEO of …
Even as some unproven, for-profit stem cell clinics promote themselves aggressively in many ways including now on TV, on the flip side lately we’ve seen more TV journalists covering questionable marketing by the clinics and negative patient outcomes. Today I saw that CBS This Morning, a national broadcast, had a fairly long TV segment on stem …
One of the most famous living biological scientists, Sir Ian Wilmut, just announced that he has Parkinson’s Disease. I wish him the best in dealing with this illness. Wilmut is very well-known for having cloned the first mammal, Dolly the Sheep. This work followed on the earlier breakthrough by Sir John Gurdon of cloning the …
Ian Wilmut, who cloned Dolly, opens up about his Parkinson’s Disease Read More »