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New papers support growing serious safety concerns about iPS cells

A growing body of evidence has convincingly argued that iPS cells contain numerous abnormalities at the genetic and epigenetic levels. Often these changes have links to the machinery in cells that is responsible for cancer. As a result, many in the stem cell field have raised the notion that iPS cells may never be able […]

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Oklahoma leaders: ES cell research is not OK

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The Oklahoma State Legislature is reportedly poised to potentially pass an outright ban of ES cell research. While in the past similar legislation was vetoed by previous Oklahoma Governor, Democrat Brad Henry, current Republican Governor Mary Fallin is likely to sign the legislation. The Oklahoman newspaper website today contains a factually incorrect, inflammatory piece by

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CIRM is the largest funder of overall stem cell research in the world

Is CIRM the tops? Overall, not focusing just on ES cell research, who is the largest funding agency in the world for stem cell research? CIRM funding If you think about CIRM, funding stem cell grants just in California, versus NIH funding stem cell research across the country, who might you imagine would have provided

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The Inside Scoop on iPS cells early in 2011

It’s been more than 4 years since Shinya Yamanaka published the remarkable finding that his lab could transform or “reprogram” regular cells called fibroblasts into a very unique state that was quite similar to that of embryonic stem cells (ESC).  Yamanaka called these new cells “iPS cells” for induced pluripotent stem cells. iPS cells Since

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Trends in Stem Cell Research Funding: where do we go from here?

What are recent trends in Stem Cell Research Funding? My post yesterday on the problems with the current system of stem cell funding generated a lot of interest from readers– more than a dozen left comments. Many of the comments were insightful even if readers disagreed on certain points. David Jensen also posted on an

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Stem cell monopoly: do not pass go, do not collect $200,000

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Great ideas are the foundation of science, but funding makes great ideas become realities and a monopoly on funding hurts science. UPDATE: NIH data backs up our conclusions: overfunding wastes precious resources–give the money to smaller labs. Arguably the key driver of the exciting progress in stem cell research is funding. With the stakes so

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