There has been a lot of attention about a Sutter clinical trial to use adult stem cells for the treatment of autism. I did a post on it here. After more reading, I’m scratching my head even more about the hypothesis at the heart of that trial, but I’m no autism expert. Emily Willingham, who knows …
Autism affects millions of children in the U.S. alone; could stem cells for autism help? It is a perplexing spectrum of disorders with “autism” being an umbrella term for a host of related neurological illnesses. The negative impact of autism on our society transcends economics, but has been estimated at 10s of billions of dollars. …
I keep seeing these eerie parallels between thalidomide & dubious stem cell treatments. What’s the first rule of medicine again? Do no harm! Rushing new medicines such as stem cell treatments to patients without appropriate preliminary studies to try to make money is like playing Russian Roulette with patients. Some of the time, everything will …
Eerie parallels between thalidomide & dubious stem cell treatments Read More »
Where do things stand on the potential of stem cell treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS)? MS is an often devastating autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own nervous system. More info can be found at the National MS website here. MS is a very serious health problem globally as about 400,000 people …
Stem cell treatments for multiple sclerosis: where do things stand? Read More »
Could Usain Bolt’s doctor be treating athletes with unproven stem cell treatments? The idea is not so far-fetched, I was surprised to learn. Read on. Bolt is an amazing sprinter. He’s a joy to watch. During the 2012 Olympics I’ve watched a few of his races and he has had almost super-human speed. The winner …
Usain Bolt’s doctor giving athletes unproven stem cell treatments? Read More »
Today there is an editorial piece in the WSJ about the recent court ruling giving the FDA authority to regulate stem cells grown in culture as drugs. As a stem cell scientist, I read this opinion piece with interest. Unfortunately it is behind a paywall, but I have outlined and discussed the key issues below. …
WSJ editorial on issue of stem cells as drugs misses the boat Read More »
Clinicaltrials.gov is where you want to go for finding a certain clinical trial and studies. Note that this U.S. database Clinicaltrials.gov includes international trials. It is a very powerful tool! Check it out here to do your own searches. Also follow me on Twitter for all the latest info and expert analysis: http://twitter.com/pknoepfler and this patient’s …
Tool to easily search for a stem cell clinical trial for your disease Read More »
Can stem cells treat the different forms of arthritis that plague 100s of millions of people across the globe? A couple years back I did a post in my disease focus series on the potential of stem cells to be used as treatments for osteoarthritis (OA). OA affects almost 30 million people in the U.S. …
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 »