ViaCyte released encouraging data just now on a patient with implanted stem cell-derived pancreas-like device whose diabetes improved. You can read more about this in the Endpoints piece that I linked to in the previous sentence. Stem cells for diabetes; the ViaCyte update The idea of stem cells for diabetes has been more on my …
Quick reaction to milestone ViaCyte data on a diabetes patient Read More »
The journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine has a long track record of publishing great work. I also have a lot of respect for the editors there and I’ve published there myself. But a few recent events have sparked concerns including over possible undisclosed conflicts of interest in some papers there about cord blood for autism. …
Cord conflicts at the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine Read More »
I got some great entries for our The Niche stem cell picture contest. While I expected many bright colorful images, every year some of the pictures surprise me in certain ways. There was another surprise in that two entrants in the contest, both Assistant Professors, are sisters. A talented family! You can see the previous …
The Niche stem cell picture contest winners: gut & astrocytes Read More »
When it comes to stem cells on Twitter and other social media, who do you follow now? Why them? Who are the top stem cell and regenerative medicine influencers to follow on Twitter and elsewhere in 2021? Stem cells on Twitter: great content amongst the noise Terrapin asked this kind of broad question to some …
50 influencers on stem cells on Twitter to follow in 2021 Read More »
This was an unusual week in that three papers in a sense collided together related to embryo production and growth, raising new research possibilities but also serious ethical questions. New research: what is an embryo & what is not? The first two Nature papers reported generating the most realistic models of human embryos from scratch …
Weekly reads: embryo pubs stir things up, organoids crying, & more Read More »
What’s the difference between multipotent stem cells, totipotent stem cells, and pluripotent stem cells? The goal of today’s post is to help you learn and be clear on the differences. What’s in this article Definition of stem cells |Totipotent vs pluripotent stem cells | Pluripotent stem cells | Multipotent stem cells | The best kind of stem …
Multipotent & totipotent vs pluripotent stem cells Read More »
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 …
What should we make of clinics like the Lung Health Institute? These clinics sell unproven stem cell or regenerative therapies for lung disease. Overall, I’m extremely skeptical. I don’t believe it’s worth the cost. There are also going to be potentially serious health risks. Lung disease is a broad category including COPD, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, …
Fact check: Lung Health Institute & cell therapies for lung disease Read More »
Induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells just might be the most exciting development in the stem cell field over the last 15 years. They have unique potential for clinical impact for regenerative medicine too. This may manifest both through their use to produce differentiated cellular therapies and indirectly via disease modeling as well as …
What are induced pluripotent stem cells or IPS cells? Read More »
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 »