There has been relatively limited response from clinics themselves to the Cell Stem Cell paper that Leigh Turner and I published recently on the scope of the stem cell clinic industry in the U.S. We found 570 stem cell clinics and there could easily be 50-100 more that escaped our search methods or that have […]
Some stem cell clinics respond to Cell Stem Cell paper with ‘not me, them’ Read More »
What should the stem cell field try to do about cowboy stem cell clinics? By this term I mean those that don’t follow the rules. They shoot stem cells into customers first and ask questions later. I’ve interacted with many patients over the years who are interested in stem cells. This interaction is growing much
Dilemmas When Patients Ponder Cowboy Stem Cell Clinics Read More »
When I started blogging in 2010 the stem cell arena was a very different place including the fact I could count the number of US stem cell clinics on one hand. This blog, called The Niche for many years, was just “Knoepfler Stem Cell Blog” back then. Also, back then the hot topic was the
Stem cell clinics, FDA, & giant, unapproved for-profit human experiments Read More »
The Oregon State Medical Board took emergency action to suspend the medical license of Dr. Kenneth Welker of Eugene, Oregon on Thursday. Update: Unfortunately, the Associate Press (AP) story on this topic (discussed more below) contains numerous important mistakes including thoroughly mixing up embryonic, adult, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Keep that in mind. Also, sadly
Emergency Suspension of Stem Cell Clinic Doc Kenneth Welker Read More »
By Christopher J. Centeno, M.D. We have noted an explosion in the number of stem cell clinics over the past several years. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t see several new ones pop up on the radar. On the one hand, as somebody who has been treating orthopedic patients with stem cells
Dr. Centeno’s Guest Post on Risky Surge of Newbie Stem Cell Clinics Read More »
As I’ve been writing this blog for the last couple years it has served as a catalyst for me to meet dozens of really interesting people. One such person is Lee Buckler, a true stem cell industry guru. Given all the complex events of late in the stem cell field, I asked Lee if he
Great interview with Lee Buckler on stem cell industry, regulatory issues, and Celltex Read More »
The International Cellular Medicine Society (ICMS) has emerged as an important organization related to stem cell regulatory issues. I think that many people do not understand what ICMS is all about and it certainly evokes strong opinions in the stem cell field. If you care about stem cells then you need to know about ICMS
ICMS President Rodriguez interview on adult stem cell regulatory issues Read More »
Wanna play stem cell Whack-a-Mole? Uh, no. I was listening to NPR while commuting home the other day and heard an interesting story about the history of YouTube and its legal issues with film studies. It was quite interesting and, of course as a stem cell fan, a link with stem cells came to me
Stem Cell Whack-A-Mole Read More »
I have interviewed two folks on the very important US vs. Regenerative Sciences legal case: Dr. Chris Centeno and Doug Sipp. More background on the case can be found at the FDA Law Blog. I thank them both for their time and for sharing their unique perspectives. I have specific rules for these interviews and
Centeno and Sipp interview on FDA stem cell oversight Read More »
Professor Joanne Kurtzberg’s clinical work at the Duke Autism Center on umbilical cord blood for autism and cerebral palsy (CP) involves a partnership with a publicly-traded cord blood banking firm called Cryo-Cell. Kurtzberg is also the Medical Director at the firm. In addition they have intellectual property in this area. The Duke team’s efforts, including
Duke & Cryo-Cell plan big clinic for unproven infusions of kids Read More »