Are the Nature STAP stem cell papers compromised? Could Nature‘s investigation conclude with something as serious as retraction or rather a mild slap on the wrist? Somewhere in between? (note you may find this update post from 2020 to be of interest: Whatever happened to the STAP cell scientists including Haruko Obokata?) Why is this question […]
Are STAP Stem Cell Nature Papers Compromised? Read More »
People have been taking a long look over the last 24 hours or so at the STAP stem cell patent application filed by Charles Vacanti, his brother, Obokata, and others. Any reactions? I don’t know much about patents so I’d be curious of your impressions. New STAP paper troubles? I’m hearing through the stem grapevine
STAP 3.0: Patent, New Paper Problems, & Poll Plummet Read More »
We know quite a bit more about the Nature papers on stress-induced STAP stem cells than we did just a couple weeks ago when they were published, but there are many crucial outstanding questions too and odd things that remain unresolved. Below are my top STAP stem cell oddities. 10. Dr. Vacanti says that STAP
Oddest Things About Unfolding STAP Stem Cell Story Read More »
What’s the latest on the now two-week-old STAP stem cell saga? More preliminary data from around the world. People continue to deposit their data into our crowdsourcing page with 8 reports so far and I know some of them are from top-notch labs. Only one of them is even slightly encouraging with a report of
STAP stem cell update: more prelim data, missing data, & 2011 paper problems Read More »
Acid-induced pluripotent or even totipotent stem cells, called STAP cells, have thrown the stem cell field for a bit of a loop. For more background see my interview with the key public face of STAP, Dr. Charles Vacanti, as well as my review of their paper, my top 5 reasons for skepticism, and some other thoughts. Do you believe in STAP?
Latest developments and scoops on STAP cells Read More »
If you take an ordinary cucumber and soak it in a mild acid solution of vinegar for a few weeks you get a pickle, which is where we find STAP stem cells. Recently, some scientists reported in Nature that if you take ordinary cells and soak them in a mild acid solution for 30 minutes,
In a pickle over STAP stem cells: main reasons for skepticism Read More »
A long-standing debate in the commercial stem cell arena has focused on whether stem cells grown in a lab prior to clinical use as a transplantation product are biological drugs subject to full FDA vetting. The alternative view has been that such stem cell products are not drugs, but rather are simple human cellular and
Court in Regenerative Sciences Case: Propagated Stem Cells Are Drugs 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 »
The recent publication of two Nature papers by a team in part led by Dr. Charles Vacanti on acid treatment produced stem cells (so-called STAP stem cells) has been a blockbuster story in the stem cell field and has grabbed major global media attention as well. For background my review of the paper here and more thoughts here. Many
Interview with Charles Vacanti on STAP Cells: Link to Spore Stem Cells & More Read More »
In two Nature papers (here and here) published today researchers report the astounding finding of reprogramming differentiated cells back to a pluripotent or even totipotent state simply by exposing the cells to extreme environmental stress, creating cells they called STAP cells. Update: see more thoughts on STAP stem cells here. STAP cells: stressing the cell
Review of Obokata STAP cells Nature papers Read More »