One of the questions I get asked most often is whether induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are well on their way to replacing ES (embryonic stem) cells. My answer? No. Not yet. iPS cells are great, but the original notion pushed by some that iPS cells would somehow replace ES cells, which would be […]
Primary challenges facing iPS cells in late 2012 Read More »
I’m a fan of iPS cells, but my lab has been concerned about the similarities between induced pluripotency and cancer formation for many years. We just now published a paper that directly addressed the similarities of cancer and iPS cell transcriptomes. These are cause for concern and need to be faced as we contemplate clinical
iPS cells are similar to cancer cells paper, part 2: unsettled reviewers Read More »
My lab just published a somewhat provocative paper (still in unproofed form at this point) arguing that iPS cells are very similar in some ways to cancer cells. How did we get to that conclusion (discussed in this post today, part 1 of the story) and what’s the back story on this paper (discussed in a later
iPS cells are similar to cancer cells: part 1 of discussion of new paper Read More »
Yesterday I just did a post on Jaenisch’s very dense, interesting Cell paper on iPS cells, but understandably it still is confusing to many people. I think I’ve come up with a helpful analogy. Imagine you are on a plane (this is your fibroblast cell) and the pilot dies. You have to fly the jumbo jet
Jaenisch’s new Cell paper on iPS cells 2.0: a helpful, brief analogy Read More »
I regularly do an update on the publication trends in the iPS cell field and these have been posts that readers have found especially useful. Here was a popular update from 2010 and another one from 2011 that included a who’s who of the iPS cell field more broadly as well beyond just publishing. Then
Part 1 on iPS cell 2012 publication trends: an unusual year Read More »
Are we ready to start using iPS cells in patients in the near future? Say in just a couple years? Are they ready for primetime? I think the answer is clearly “no”. I believe that iPS cells, a new type of stem cells, are one of the most exciting and important developments in biomedical sciences
iPS cells not quite ready for primetime? Read More »
Now six years into its existence, the induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell field is no longer in its infancy to put it mildly but what will it take to get IPS cells to patients? Perhaps one might say that cutting edge new scientific fields advance in dog years. In that way of thinking, the iPS
What will it take to get iPS cells to patients? Read More »
What if I told you I believe that iPS cells really began in Seattle in the 1980s? Call me crazy? Read on. We hear a lot about how iPS cells were first created in 2006 in Japan by Shinya Yamanaka. I often say this myself. However, as is the case with so much in science,
How iPS cells germinated in part in Seattle in the 1980s Read More »
What are the most important iPS cell papers so far? 1) Yamanaka’s first paper on mouse iPS cells. Revolutionary. Intriguing perspectives presented in day 1 of the iPS cell field. Interesting statements such as Myc is required. Also take a look at those other reprogramming factors that he tested…there’s a tremendous amount there, largely unexamined.
What are the best iPS cell papers so far? Read More »
Wait, what’s that taboo elephant doing in the IPS cell lab? You don’t see it? I’m starting a new series called “The Elephant in the Lab” where I discuss controversial laboratory topics that people are usually too afraid to publicly discuss. We are starting with iPS cells. (for a description and definition of iPS cells
Taboo topics about iPS cells: the elephant in the lab series Read More »