Stem cells grown in culture are drugs. Agree or disagree? I believe it is a correct statement. I don’t think it is even a question any more as it was a few months ago. Yes, I am convinced that the FDA, as supported by a recent federal court ruling, has it right that growing stem […]
2 decades as cell biologist tell me grown stem cells are drugs Read More »
There was a burst of feeling last night in the stem cell community as word began circulating that a federal court had ruled in favor of the FDA defining manipulated stem cell products as drugs. However, not everyone was pleased with the court ruling. The clinics most directly affected by the ruling were understandably upset,
Refuting potential downsides to stem cell drug court ruling Read More »
We live in an ever increasing plasticized world. There are many good things about plastic, but then there are also some very bad things such as the giant whirpools of plastic fragments out in the oceans that are larger than Texas and also some of the chemicals in plastics are dangerous. One particular chemical villain
FDA finally bans poison and carcinogen BPA from baby products Read More »
I love paradoxes. The great artist M.C. Escher was famous for his paradoxical drawings such as the one above. Paradoxes make people think in a whole new way about something they thought they understood. The stem cell field is full of paradoxes. Below I list my favorite ones. Most stem cell therapies will not transplant
Intriguing stem cell paradoxes: from Pepsi to Pluripotency Read More »
I’ve sponsored a stem cell essay contest with two winners: age 18 or younger (category 1) and age 19 or older (category 2). The deadline has passed and we have our winners. I received a number of interesting essays and today I’m happy to announce the winner in the younger category: Claire August. I’ll announce the category
Stem cell essay contest winner category 1: Claire August Read More »
What if I told you I believe that iPS cells really began in Seattle in the 1980s? Call me crazy? Read on. We hear a lot about how iPS cells were first created in 2006 in Japan by Shinya Yamanaka. I often say this myself. However, as is the case with so much in science,
How iPS cells germinated in part in Seattle in the 1980s Read More »
What are the most important iPS cell papers so far? 1) Yamanaka’s first paper on mouse iPS cells. Revolutionary. Intriguing perspectives presented in day 1 of the iPS cell field. Interesting statements such as Myc is required. Also take a look at those other reprogramming factors that he tested…there’s a tremendous amount there, largely unexamined.
What are the best iPS cell papers so far? Read More »
Why doesn’t the brain fix itself using stem cells the way other organs do? Earlier this week I was lecturing to students here at UC Davis on stem cells. One of the points I raised was that most if not all of our organs have a compliment of stem cells that are there to maintain
Stem cells on the brain: why can’t the brain just fix itself? Read More »
I put up a funny poll a few days ago asking if Mitt Romney were a type of cell, what type would he be. I gave 4 possible somewhat negative answers (trying to be humorous) and 3 possible positive answers. The results of the poll are above. The first striking thing is just how much
Results of ‘if Romney were a cell’ poll: not good news for him Read More »
Dear Governor Rick Perry, Yesterday I came down very hard on you in a post for your visit to the Scripps Research Institute in California and the video that was made about it. (2020 update: Rick Perry is still plugging Celltex after 8 more years!) Maybe I was a bit over the top… However, it got
Open letter to Rick Perry: how Texas can lead on stem cells Read More »