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 »
On the STAP cell front, I’ve heard several reports now that labs can sometimes see some kind of either Oct4-GFP reporter activity or pluripotency gene expression in acid treated cells, but the scientists do not seem particularly encouraged. One said that the cells gave a glimmer of interesting gene expression, but would not grow at
Latest STAP stem cell whispers: glimmers of hope or mirages? 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 »
I don’t know about you, but this whole STAP stem cell thing has got me kind of bummed out. Last night I was thinking to perhaps stop blogging about it as the situation turns darker, but it seems like it wouldn’t do any good to ignore it. The ostrich with head in the sand approach
STAP stem cell new allegations: situation turns darker Read More »
We need medical innovations, but what is the appropriate way for agencies like the FDA to regulate the process and fight bogus interventions based solely on hype? Without innovation, medicine becomes stagnant and hope fades for patients who have any one of numerous conditions that are currently inadequately addressed by medicine. I can relate on
What is the FDA’s appropriate role in regulating medical innovations such as stem cells? Read More »
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 »