Each year at this time I start thinking about what the next year will bring for the stem cell field and make predictions. This year is no different and I’ve been pondering what 2012 has in store for us. You can read my predictions for 2011 here and see how I fared. Not too bad, but overly optimistic …
Stem cell predictions for 2012: Science, CIRM, ACT, trends Read More »
Sometimes a top scientist makes news with a quote on research and that happened with Ian Wilmut recently on stem cells. Move away from research on human ES cells (hESC) in favor of very new and still largely unclear trans-differentiation technology? I say, no way. But, Bradley Fikes of the North County Times has reported …
Ian Wilmut, Dolly’s dad, says dump hESC? What does this mean? Read More »
Exactly two years ago today, I was lying in a hospital bed literally across the street from lab here at UC Davis. It seems unreal in a way, but painfully real it was and still is. On November 30, 2009, I had surgery for prostate cancer. Two years ago, things seemed pretty bleak. Now on …
My 2 years with cancer and what I learned from Steve Jobs Read More »
Spring End Nov. 2011 Here is an updated–Who’s who in the iPS cell field? …
The Republican Party is a shadow of its former self. It seems to have lost touch with reality, abandoned real leaders, and given up on facts. One of the most damaging trends for the Republican Party has been their lack of presidential candidates who have gravitas, meaning they can be taken seriously as national leaders. …
I usually stick to science on this blog, but Friday’s events on my campus compel me to take a moment to discuss what happened. I am proud of our school and to be a member of the UC Davis faculty. I’m proud of our students too. I am shocked and disappointed at the events that …
Unprovoked UC Davis Police Attack Peaceful Student Protestors: some perspectives Read More »
Today, an authoritative article was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that included some of the most comprehensive polling of attitudes in the U.S. and around the world on embryonic stem cell (ESC) research. Their findings indicate very widespread and deep support for ESC research around the globe including in the U.S. and …
Many of us have been discouraged by Geron’s decision to end their stem cell program, which included products based on human embryonic stem (ES) cells, but let’s keep some perspective on this and not give up hope. The opponents of hope want us to give up. They who have waged their own self-proclaimed war on …
Yesterday Geron announced it would be immediately stopping its stem cell research program. What does this mean? While this program has (or should I say “had”) a number of elements, at its heart was of course its hESC-based OPC drug (GRNOPC1) for spinal cord injury, which was in an FDA-approved Phase I Clinical Trial that …
The day after Geron’s news: a realistic outlook for the stem cell field Read More »
Geron abruptly announced today that it will no longer pursue its spinal cord injury trial using oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) derived from hESC. Several sources indicate that Geron is hoping to find a buyer of its drug for this trial, GRNOPC1 and the hope is that the trial could be rescued in a sense. Why …
Rumors flying on Geron, ACT, CIRM and the stem cell field Read More »