The stem cell world is getting more complicated. There are more good guys and bad guys out there than ever. In the Old West, at least as portrayed in the old movies I used to watch as a kid, the bad guy often had a black hat and the good guy a white hat. In […]
Who’s who? How to tell the stem cell good guys from the bad guys Read More »
There has been a lot of attention about a Sutter clinical trial to use adult stem cells for the treatment of autism. I did a post on it here. After more reading, I’m scratching my head even more about the hypothesis at the heart of that trial, but I’m no autism expert. Emily Willingham, who knows
Do you have a question about stem cells? Post it in the comment sections of this blog post and I’ll do my best to answer it. If I don’t know, I’ll look into it. Update: in 2020 I started a patient Q&A series that you can read here. The best comments/questions may end up as
Got questions about stem cells? I’ll answer them. Read More »
I’m a big fan of stem cells. I’m a researcher, but also a patient advocate and educator. I’m someone who favors researching adult, embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cells (aka iPS cells). They all are worth pursuing and in my opinion have the future potential to be an ethical-basis for helping millions of patients who
Adult stem cells: why I’m really excited, but don’t favor shortcuts Read More »
Sometimes it can get bewildering to try to understand all the different kinds of stem cells. What’s the difference? What makes embryonic stem cells different than adult stem cells than induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells? I can give you technical definitions and you can learn more here in my post “What are stem cells?”, but
The Stem Cell Olympics: a fun way to understand different kinds of stem cells Read More »
I know. I know. Scientists are not supposed to publicly talk about the question of when life begins and about death, but these are kind of important things to talk about and think about, don’t you think? I do. So here goes…. It’s been a very intense, crazy few weeks for me and for many
Some thoughts on life, death, and stem cells Read More »
A few weeks ago the mystery in the neighborhood was a bunch of jumping oak gall, which we didn’t know at the time were millions of tiny galls each with a wasp larva inside doing the mambo and now it is a giant, alien-like fungus in my back yard. We bought our house 6 years
Name that giant, alien-like fungus! Read More »
There has been a long and winding road for a lawsuit against federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR). The latest phase was an appeal by the plaintiffs (those suing the government to stop federal funding of ESCR) to a U.S. Appeals Court of a decision that went against them in the D.C. Court
Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Federally Funded Embryonic Stem Cell Research Read More »
The culture warriors of the Right to Life movement and some of the more radical elements in the Tea Party have waged war on embryonic stem cell (ESC) research and researchers. Tagging along like some reluctant bride has been the leadership of the Republican Party. Folks like Mitt Romney and his partner, Paul Ryan, now
Has the culture war on stem cells turned into a cold war? Read More »
The Irish Stem Cell Foundation is one of the good guys in the stem cell universe. It works to promote stem cell research and education in an at times hostile environment with fired up opponents who don’t hesitate to fire it up against stem cell advocates. It is therefore exciting that the Foundation has launched
Irish Stem Cell Foundation launches new website! Read More »