New FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has brought on Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg (or Høeg) as a special assistant. Hoeg has had some controversial views on COVID. She has seemed skeptical of certain elements of vaccination, masking, and school closing. What struck me is that she also has offered unproven cell therapies at a clinic here […]
New Makary FDA aide Dr. Tracy Hoeg has offered unproven stem cells Read More »
I want to discuss a recent development with Humacyte and the FDA, but first, please check out a new video below that is a discussion between student Parmin Sedigh and me on the idea of stem cells for heart disease. Parmin has also written for The Niche and has her own site too. I am impressed
Weekly reads: Humacyte, retinal stem cells, stem cell therapy for knees & hearts Read More »
If you tell a scientist that they should be growing a spine, they might take you literally. For instance, if you say this because you want a scientist to show some courage and speak out about something difficult, instead they might try to make an actual human spine in a lab. We’ll start there this
Weekly reads: grow a spine, China clears MSCs, Denise Richards, stem cell soups Read More »
The U.S. Supreme Court could soon have a historic opportunity to limit the scope of FDA stem cell oversight. A large stem cell clinic firm now says it plans to ask SCOTUS to review a case it recently lost on appeal to the FDA. If SCOTUS takes the case, the FDA could find its powers
FDA stem cell oversight at risk as clinics to ask SCOTUS to weigh in Read More »
It’s been a long saga for the FDA and the unproven stem cell clinic group called Cell Surgical Network, headquartered in Beverly Hills. A court case involving the two has been unfolding for many years. It has big implications for agency authority and the hundreds of stem cell clinics across the U.S. The case took
Back in late August, Liveyon leader John Kosolcharoen pleaded to federal charges on stem cells. What was Liveyon? Liveyon was a splashy umbilical cord stem cell supplier company. I don’t know if the company is still active now. One of its core products ended up sending dozens of people to the hospital due to contamination
Liveyon made $21.6 million says DOJ; leader gets 3 years prison for stem cell activities Read More »
I’ve written before about so-called test-tube burgers and bacon and other lab grown meat. Test-tube burgers Cells like muscle and fat progenitor cells are the basis for these products. Sometimes stem cells may come into play for such “test-tube burgers” as I generally call this type of lab meat. Cost seems to be a main
Weekly reads: test-tube burgers, CRISPR for space travel, more tuft cells Read More »
The FDA just warned a Florida stem cell clinic firm called Mother Stem Institute run by Dr. Alvaro Skupin. Background: Mother Stem Institute past issues I’ve written about this clinic and Dr. Skupin in the last few years. Just about a year ago I blogged the news that a patient suit against the clinic was
FDA warns Mother Stem Institute & Alvaro Skupin Read More »
The stem cell clinic arena is a Wild West but perhaps few have been wilder than the perinatal stem cell clinic firm Liveyon run by John Kosolcharoen. Now John Kosolcharoen has pleaded guilty to felony charges related to Liveyon’s activities including distribution of an unapproved cell therapy drug. He will be sentenced next month. This
Liveyon leader John Kosolcharoen pleads to federal felony charges on stem cells Read More »
The private cord blood bank industry has promised families all kinds of great things over the years. A typical ad for such cord blood banks might say, “Your child may need cord blood in the future for a cure.” The industry also often uses the analogy of frozen cord blood as an insurance policy for