Please note that this is one of the only instances in the history of this blog that I have retroactively edited a post for what I believe was an error on my part related to what I feel was overly extreme verbiage. I have also subsequently been informed confidentially of more of the facts of …
Texas Guv Perry visits human embryonic stem cell lab at Scripps Institute Read More »
The Texas State Medical Board reportedly approved new rules for the use of adult stem cells. The ruling was at least in part a result of Texas Governor and former GOP presidential hopeful, Rick Perry, strongly pushing the issue. Perry himself received a controversial, non-FDA approved stem cell transplant in 2011 as part of a …
Texas is holding up a Texas-sized magnet for stem cell super star researchers and it is working. The upper mid-West is reeling from the departure of two stem cell superstars in less than one year and both went South to Texas. First in May 2011, we had the departure of Sean Morrison from U. of …
Utah appears ready to pass a new stem cell law that would explicitly allow clinical use of non-FDA-approved placental cell drug therapies in the state. Bill 199 seems likely to set up a conflict with the FDA that may land in court. The key part of the bill says: “A health care provider whose scope …
A Justice Department press release details how a physician’s assistant (PA) in Texas was convinced of fraud related to amniotic fluid injections. This story tells us some important things about how Medicare handles things versus the FDA approach to such things. Amniotic fluid scam A jury found Ray Anthony Shoulders, a PA at a pain …
Man could get 240 yrs for amniotic fluid for knees Medicare scam Read More »
Neil Riordan may be most well-known for running the Panama stem cell clinic called simply enough the Stem Cell Institute, but he also has a U.S. firm Signature Biologics. The Panama clinic sells unproven umbilical cord cells grown in a lab for a host of medical conditions. I’ve had many concerns about it over the …
FDA warns Neil Riordan U.S. perinatal firm Signature Biologics Read More »
From the beginning of the pandemic, I have been mostly skeptical about the idea of cell therapy for COVID including stem cell therapies. However, at the same time, I’ve closely followed the data, especially up until 2022. Now having just had a nasty bout with COVID myself for the first time this summer, I recently …
Update on stem cells & cell therapy for COVID trials Read More »
Today’s post takes a close look at the exosome manufacturer Kimera Labs in the context of the main exosome companies. What are exosomes? Exosomes are microscopic bubbles or vesicles produced by cells. Exosomes contain many cellular substances that are biologically active. Some of these materials may be helpful clinically, while others could pose risks. Clinical outcomes …
Where Kimera Labs fits into sphere of exosome companies Read More »
Are there endogenous adult heart stem cells that are useful in cardiac disease or can stem cell infusions help ailing hearts? As to the first question, the adult heart does not appear to have meaningful numbers of true stem cells. Further, testing the idea of infusions of stem cells for heart disease has so far been giving …
Heart stem cells trial mostly disappoints but is oversold Read More »
Does Medicare cover stem cell therapy? Readers of The Niche have regularly asked this question. They’re curious about insurance coverage too. The answer is “no” in almost every case, with some notable exceptions I’ll get to at the end of the post. Still, clinics appear to have already been charging Medicare for what collectively adds …