Should a company be able to have a gene patent and more generally and practically speaking can genes be patented? Patent and IP issues always raise a myriad of questions so what about a patent case on a company called Myriad? Complicated, right? If genes in their natural form cannot be patented, does that mean […]
Myriad SCOTUS Decision: Can you have a gene patent? Read More »
Human cloning is not so far-fetched any more. Cloning of the Star Wars variety where new copies of people (although they would be babies, not adults of course at first) are produced is something I believe that we’ll see in the next 1-2 decades. Why would anyone bother to clone? Fame. Money. Vanity. There are
Concerns on the idea of human cloning for infertility Read More »
One of the great areas of confusion over the human cloning development this week is whether human cloning is legal or illegal. With few exceptions, human cloning in general is legal in the US. Update: in 2020 it still appears that reproductive human cloning is legal in the US. It just hasn’t gotten that much
Deja you: human cloning generally legal in the US Read More »
The poll I put up asking people their #1 top priority for FDA reform drew relatively big numbers of respondents. Speeding up clinical trials was clearly way out in front at #1. Expanding compassionate use was #2. These were followed by changing policy to no longer define lab-grown stem cells as drugs and FDA being
Results of FDA Reform Poll: speed up clinical trials & expand compassionate use Read More »
More and more evidence is accumulating that the alleged iPS cell transplantation in human patients by Dr. Hisashi Moriguchi was bunk. Nature today has a piece out today on the story providing more quotes about the case that suggest the whole thing was made up. Rather than re-hash all the details, in this post I’m going
The Moriguchi iPS transplant fable: key lessons & where do we go from here Read More »
What are Conflict of Interests (COI)? The term COI is sometimes used inappropriately as a weapon by one party to attempt to discredit others. We see this more and more frequently in the stem cell field with boosters of for-profit, non-FDA vetted adult stem cell clinics attacking scientists for supposed COIs for what…..apparently for simply
Real and imaginary conflicts of interest: a helpful guide Read More »
All science, whether biology or physics, whether microscopic or at the solar system level, is about experiments. Sometimes we as a society forget that. In fact, experiments are at the heart of investigations as diverse as studying cells to exploring space to medical treatments. For NASA, the last week has been a tale of two
NASA’s wickedly up & down week: broader lessons about science & medicine Read More »
Why is the Texas stem cell company Celltex so super duper private about itself? I’m not sure. It has been the subject of much discussion in the stem cell field in the past year. Unfortunately, much of the news has been negative, largely related to their former head of ethics, Glenn McGee, who also was
Wondering why Celltex is still so silent Read More »
If you ever had a really bad day, March 13, 2012 might have been just such a bad day for one Dr. Steven Victor, aka “Dr LookGood”, because he received an official warning letter from the FDA. Why? Dr. Victor, who reportedly greets each patient with the catch phrase “You look so much more beautiful than your picture”, is
Dr Lookgood, dermatologist to the stars, gets FDA warning letter Read More »
What does the FDA define as “minimally manipulated” when it comes to biologics such as stem cells? You will be shocked to find out, but they include irradiation and treatment with the super toxin/carcinogen, ethylene oxide. In a recent post I discussed the issue of an apparent “minimal manipulation” exception (some might even call it a