Search Results for: He Jiankui

Counterpoints to Lovell-Badge & Daley’s CRISPR baby rationales

CRISPR-baby

Two prominent scientists, Robin Lovell-Badge and George Daley, have been amongst the most outspoken proponents of leaving the door open to heritable human genetic modification via CRISPR. While they each have articulated their reasons in somewhat different ways at times, their core reasons arguing in favor of future heritable CRISPR appear largely the same. In

Counterpoints to Lovell-Badge & Daley’s CRISPR baby rationales Read More »

Why CRISPR baby production (if it happened) was unethical & dangerous

Jiankui-He-who-claims-CRISPR-baby-production

Reports are out that a scientist in China has been working to make a CRISPR baby for some time and supposedly has made twin genetically modified babies. I see this work as unethical and dangerous. Just a couple years ago when I published my book GMO Sapiens on potential use of CRISPR in a heritable manner

Why CRISPR baby production (if it happened) was unethical & dangerous Read More »

Is ‘genetically modified human’ a loaded name?

Craig-Mello

Should we be using the term ‘genetically modified human’ in discussions of heritable use of CRISPR in people? During the still ongoing discussions of genetic modification in the human germline and potentially in actual human beings in the future, an interesting, but difficult question has emerged: What words or names would be most appropriate for

Is ‘genetically modified human’ a loaded name? Read More »

Weekly reads: UC Davis Medical School diversity, CRISPR, Parkinson’s

UC Davis Medical School

It’s been almost seventeen years that I’ve been a professor here at UC Davis Medical School. It feels like home. I enjoy teaching our first-year medical students each year. Some end up doing research in my lab. Our school recently got a nice write-up over at STAT News by Usha Lee McFarling on the diversity

Weekly reads: UC Davis Medical School diversity, CRISPR, Parkinson’s Read More »

‘We don’t want to freak people out’: about that Jacob Hanna human embryo model startup

Jacob Hanna Renewal Bio

Stem cell biologist Jacob Hanna has a new startup called Renewal Bio. Its goal is to harvest cells or tissues from human embryo or fetus models for clinical use. I believe that their commercial ambitions have so far outstripped careful thought and discussion in the broader community of researchers. There are major risks here for

‘We don’t want to freak people out’: about that Jacob Hanna human embryo model startup Read More »

Stem cell reads: regeneration, 8C, MYC, CRISPR babies

wound healing stem cells

Another busy week including on the grant writing treadmill or should I say Mobius strip, but I’m always on the lookout for new reading and this week a lot popped up on regeneration. Also, a paper on healing and scarring. I regularly write about stem cell journals. For a long time, it seems like Cell Stem

Stem cell reads: regeneration, 8C, MYC, CRISPR babies Read More »

16 predictions for stem cells & regenerative medicine in 2022

regenerative medicine, stem cells 2021

The last few years in the stem cell and regenerative medicine arena have been complicated in many ways. Variables like surging stem cell clinics and COVID have made predictions harder.  Even so, trying to make predictions is useful and it’s fun to go over past year’s predictions. You can see my scorecard on my 2021

16 predictions for stem cells & regenerative medicine in 2022 Read More »

Grading my 21 stem cell & regenerative medicine predictions for 2021

stem-cell-crystal-ball-300x3001

The world of stem cell research and regenerative medicine is unpredictable but it’s fun to be a part of it and try to do predictions. Each year in late December or early January I make prognostications for the coming year for stem cell research and regenerative medicine. I made 21 such predictions for the current

Grading my 21 stem cell & regenerative medicine predictions for 2021 Read More »