Two of my favorite things are stem cells and histones. When they both come together in one paper and it’s in my favorite journal, Cell Stem Cell, you’ve got my full attention. My own lab is especially interested in the roles of histones and Myc in stem cells. So when I saw a paper a paper from […]
Cool Cell Stem Cell Paper From Ishii Team on Histones & Reprogramming Read More »
I asked Dr. Teruhiko Wakayama, who goes by Teru to those who know him, if he would be willing to do a Q&A on the STAP stem cell situation. Teru was senior author on the STAP stem cell Nature letter on chimerism, but was not a senior (note this is a correction from an earlier version of this
Interview with Dr. Teru Wakayama on STAP stem cells Read More »
The STAP stem cell saga is like something out of a soap opera. Maybe we should call it “As the Stem Cell World Turns”. See the little green STAP spheres at right and imagine them turning like little worlds. One of the best pieces I’ve read on STAP was today’s article by Cynthia Fox at
Excerpts of BioSciTech STAP article Read More »
How are people feeling about STAP stem cells? Lately, not great. With a whopping 790 votes in, the most ever recorded on this blog other than for our annual Stem Cell Person of the Year Award Internet polling, I’ve closed our week 3 STAP stem cell polling. The question in the polls each week have
Week 3 STAP stem cell polling reflects quick plunge Read More »
Today may be a turning point for STAP cells. Nature itself opened up in a newsy piece about the events that have occurred in the past couple weeks since they published two related papers on acid/other stimulus-induced powerful pluripotent or totipotent stem cells (aka STAP stem cells). Update: Science also published a news piece on
STAP cells update 2.0: method isn’t working so far, investigations & more Read More »
A new article in the major Japanese newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, just came out suggest major intellectual property (IP) and patent issues related to stem cells including the new stress induced STAP stem cells. The piece is entitled provocatively enough “Global patent war looms with epoch-making discovery of STAP cells“. That’s strong language. The article begins
Big patent & IP implications or even ‘war’ from STAP stem cells? Read More »
In the interview below I talk with Dr. Masayo Takahashi, who is leading a team conducting the first ever in-human clinical study based on iPS cells. The work began with patient enrollment on Aug. 1, 2013 in Japan. Masaya Takahashi background 1. Can you tell us a bit about your background? As an M.D./Ph.D. and
Masayo Takahashi Interview on iPS cells, clinical studies, & more Read More »
Stem cell technology is poised to wow the world with biomedical advances in the coming decades and Japan wants to lead the way. They want to forge ahead particularly with applications that focus on a relatively new kind of stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells. Japanese researcher, Shinya Yamanaka, first reported production
Japan Aiming For a Commanding Position on New Stem Cells Read More »
If you are wondering, “How will iPS cells get to help patients?” part of the answer is perhaps the big player and Japanese Institution, Riken and its arm Retina Institute of Japan. The stem cell field is still abuzz about induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells 7 years after their discovery. This amazing embryonic stem cell-like cells can
Meet Retina Institute of Japan: translating iPS cells Read More »
It is always exciting when a biomedical technology as revolutionary as iPS cells is on the cusp of being used in patients for the first time. In the last few days stories have reported about how a proposed clinical trial based on iPS cells has completed several regulatory steps and is closer to starting. This