Over the years on a fairly regular basis I’ve been contacted by patients seeking information about stem cell treatments and stem cell clinics. Note that patients may want to check out my stem cell patient guide, which has key questions and advocates for a critical, skeptical view of these offerings. But in 2012 the number […]
Dubious stem cell clinics increasing and at epidemic levels Read More »
Cancer invokes powerful feelings so it is not surprising that there are a lot of harmful myths and urban legends out there about it. As a cancer researcher and cancer survivor, I can see it from both the biomedical research side and the patient side. Here’s my top 10 list of myths & legends about
Harmful cancer myths & urban legends Read More »
The era of privacy is over. People are saying this so often lately that is almost cliche, but I’m starting to believe it is true. My recent experience is illustrative and it has convinced me that privacy is indeed almost a quaint anachronism. The main instrument in the death of privacy is the Internet. For
The end of privacy Read More »
How should we all handle cyber safety issues? Could someone be stealing your work-related or personal data while you travel? If you have recently traveled outside the U.S., particularly to China or Russia, I have bad news for you because you may have already been hacked. Check out this article in the NY Times about how dangerous
Helpful cyber safety tips for trips Read More »
What should patients think about and ask about when they are considering a stem cell treatment, particularly from a for-profit, unproven stem cell clinic? Patient guide to stem cell therapies For better or worse, I am in the unique position in 2021 of being a stem cell scientist and also a former cancer patient. Looking
What is stem cell therapy? Read More »
I have in the past posted advice to new faculty and also top 10 advice list for the academic job hunt, but today I wanted to specifically talk about mentoring. Also, stay tuned for a special post later this week with an autobiographical section from Irv Weissman on his early career and who his key
How to find and be a good mentor? Read More »
With the bewildering amount of news about stem cells, how do we tell the difference between hype and hope? Although the words “hype” and “hope” only differ by one letter, sometimes it is hard to tell them apart in real life, but of course they are very different things. So how do we know when
Stem cell hype: distinguishing it from hope Read More »
Stem Cell Tourism is a blanket term now used to refer to patients receiving non-FDA approved stem cell treatments either by traveling here within the U.S. or more often outside the U.S. Clinics are sprouting up all over the world offering treatments based on stem cells. The science behind these is often non-existent. Most stem
Stem cell tourism disaster coming: my case for caution Read More »
At last year’s ISSCR 2010 Meeting in San Francisco, President Irv Weissman talked about the dangers of unvalidated stem cell treatments. He talked about the responsibility of stem cell scientists to stand against these and the importance for scientists not to endorse or serve on advisory committees of companies peddling such products and “therapies”. As
Stem cell tourism: from bad to worse from 2010-2011 Read More »
There has been a lot of publicity about the reported stem cell treatment of NY Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colon. According to several sources, Colon received his treatment in his native Dominican Republic. Major League Baseball reportedly seems most concerned about this case, at least publicly, because human growth hormone (hGH) might have been used in
Stem cell sports medicine: Bartolo Colon Read More »