I confess: I have stem cells on the brain. Yeah, I probably have a few stem cells left in this old brain of mine, but that’s not what I mean….rather, I mean that I am really curious and excited about how stem cells do their jobs in our brains. More specifically, I wonder about things such […]
Stem cells on the brain Read More »
Here is a patient guide to stem cells with the key factual things you need to know. For better or worse, I am in the unique position of being a stem cell scientist and also a patient since I had cancer 2 years ago. Looking on the bright side this gives me a unique perspective
Factual patient guide to stem cell treatments Read More »
If you care about contraception, you need to understand stem cells. And if you care about stem cells you should know more about birth control. Why? There is a big media to-do about federal guidelines related to health care organizations providing birth control. President Obama has gotten into the fray and in fact just today
What do stem cells have to do with contraception? Read More »
Interestingly, the Komen Foundation appears open to funding human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research. The latest report from Science includes a quote from Komen that denies any changes in funding policy for research and suggests they have not ruled out funding such research: Contrary to circulating online reports, Komen has not “de-funded” any grantee based on human embryonic stem
Komen Foundation open to funding human embryonic stem cell research Read More »
What are stem cell cosmetics? The use of stem cells for cosmetics and cosmetic procedures is exploding even while many important questions remain. How legitimate are these stem cell cosmetic products and procedures? Are they safe and effective? What kinds of medical conditions are they being used to treat? I also recently did a post
From boobs to baldness: stem cell cosmetics Read More »
Do we still need iPS cells if transdifferentiation is so cool? Wait, how did we get to the point that people are asking me that extreme question? When iPS cells were first introduced to the world by Shinya Yamanaka, who I think will win the Nobel Prize sometime in the next few years, some folks went
Transdifferentiation does not make iPS cells obsolete Read More »
Lately I have been critical of an ultra-conservative political think tank-like foundation called the Witherspoon Institute. They have recently joined the federal lawsuit as friends of the plaintiffs suing to stop federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. The Witherspoon Council has just published a 100+ page report on stem cells in the very conservative, somewhat obscure
A critique of the Witherspoon Institute stem cell report Read More »
Federal funding of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research is hanging by a tenuous thread at the moment. While currently legal, such funding is at the mercy of a legal case making its way through the courts. The latest stop for this case is a review by a 3-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court.
Update on embryonic stem cell court case Read More »
Just when I thought that the myths about stem cells, particularly embryonic stem cells, couldn’t get any more fantastic (as in based on fantasy), we have some bright folks out there thinking that soda (pop, coke, pepsi, whatever you call it) is made using embryonic stem cells. The headline goes: Pepsi is using embryonic stem cells
Stem cells in my Pepsi? New crazy stem cell myths Read More »
Doris Taylor is heading southeast? Texas is holding up a Texas-sized magnet for stem cell super star researchers and it is working. The upper mid-West is reeling from the departure of two stem cell superstars in less than one year and both went South to Texas. First in May 2011, we had the departure of