The FDA is holding a 2-day stem cell meeting starting tomorrow and it promises to be a really big deal. What’s the scoop on this meeting and the attendees? Who is likely to say what? If the deregulatory proponents get their way, could we have stem cell clinics like Starbucks popping up in even more neighborhoods? I have […]
Guide to September 12-13 FDA Stem Cell Meeting Read More »
That much-anticipated public FDA stem cell meeting that was postponed from April will now take place in September and will have a much larger array of diverse speakers. Many more voices at an FDA stem cell meeting are collectively a good thing, but delay is not. The large and growing U.S. stem cell clinic industry makes
September FDA stem cell meeting looks to be big debate Read More »
A new paper was recently published on CRISPR of human embryos for genetic modification. I’ve got to read this publication more carefully, but here’s a quick initial take on this human CRISPR 2.0 study. The paper is Kang, et al. and is entitled “Introducing precise genetic modifications into human 3PN embryos by CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing”.
New Paper on CRISPR of Human Embryos Highlights Serious Tech Problems Read More »
ISSCR Chat By Michael Cea Jeanne Loring of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California kindly sat down with me at the ISSCR annual meeting for a broad discussion of her history, views on the field and developments in the science. I found Jeanne a refreshing character, as I did a number of others I was
Michael Cea ISSCR chat with Jeanne Loring on stem cell field Read More »
Rumors have been flying for months that researchers in China and possibly elsewhere were shopping papers around at high-profile journals that reported gene editing and genetic modification of human embryos. Update: apparently this paper (HT to @JohnBorghi) was only reviewed for 2 days (see image at bottom of post), raising major concerns about the depth of
Researchers in China make genetically modified human embryos Read More »
NBC News did a big on-line story and even a NBC Nightly News Segment on dubious stem cell therapies on Friday. Normally a national news story on the problem of the mushrooming stem cell clinics selling unapproved “treatments” would be a positive development, but this otherwise very nicely done story might have a major error that could confuse millions
Did NBC News Err On Key Part of Their Stem Cell Report? Read More »
I’ve really enjoyed day 2 of ISSCR 2014. So far this day has already packed in a slew of great talks both in the lecture halls and outside one-on-one with old friends and new ones. How great is that? I’ll focus on just a few highlights to keep it concise. Dubious stem cell clinics and
ISSCR 2014 Day 2: Navigating Balanced Stem Cell Path to Clinic Read More »
The Cell Surgical Network is a for-profit network of clinics offering various stem cell-related interventions, which began with the California Stem Cell Treatment Center. I have interviewed Drs. Elliot Lander and Mark Berman of the Network in past (Part 1, Part 2) and I raised some concerns about the network in a follow up Part 3 post,
Update on Cell Surgical Network IRB Status Read More »
I’ve been fortunate to interview some of the greats in the stem cell field for this blog and host debates between key players. Please note that just because I have interviewed folks does not mean I agree with them or that they agree with me. The point is to establish dialogue on key issues. As
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