For better or worse, I am in the unique position of being a stem cell scientist and also a former cancer patient. Looking on the bright side this gives me a unique perspective on things compared to many of my colleagues. I know there are thousands of people out there looking for more practical information […]
Patients guide to stem cell treatments for 2021 Read More »
Now that the ISSCR annual meeting is over, some overall stem cell trends are evident from the meeting in terms of the direction of the stem cell field. This was one of my favorite ISSCR meetings. Translation expectation and upbeat tone. The overall vibe at the meeting was a sense of excitement and optimism about the
5 big picture stem cell trends at ISSCR 2016 Read More »
Have you had a stem cell treatment and if so, what was your experience like? Please also see our 2020 guide and polls on stem cell treatment cost. I really value the diversity of readers on this blog from all over the world. I know we have a lot of readers who are patients and have had
If you’ve had a stem cell treatment, how was your experience? Read More »
The number of people around the world being injected with stem cells every day has never been higher and the heterogeneous group of medical providers doing these procedures is also at or near its highest level ever. The cells used are also highly variable as are the procedures themselves, but most of these cells fall under the
Review of Centeno MSC safety paper: without controls, conclusions muted Read More »
Should we be injecting bone marrow cells into someone’s eyes? it seems like a terrible idea to me based on what we currently know. Whenever I see a stem cell headline like this one from a recent Baltimore Sun piece, it raises many questions: Stem cells apparently reverse woman’s blindness. First of all, is the reporter,
Study injects marrow cells into eye, charges $20K Read More »
The New York Times recently asked 6 people what sci-fi movie or novel is most prescient today; in my view it’s GATTACA. The responses ran the gamut: Fahrenheit 451, The Martian, The Fifth Season, The Body Snatchers, Book of the New Sun, and Use of Weapons. To me of those 6, the best case can
NYT asks which sci-fi work is most prescient today: I think GATTACA Read More »
Shinya Yamanaka is one of my favorite fellow scientists. His research is creative and rigorous along with having huge clinical implications. At the same time, Dr. Yamanaka sees the big picture and he’s very open about talking about real life as a scientist. I really appreciate both levels. In the past I interviewed him for
Takeaways from new Yamanaka (山中伸弥) stem cell interview Read More »
It’s been a great couple days so far here at the World Stem Cell Summit in Atlanta. You can follow it on Twitter using the #WSCS15 hash tag. I first attended it 5 years ago in Pasadena. One of the special aspects of WSCS is it brings together diverse stakeholders in a way that just
World Stem Cell Summit 2015: IPS cells, #CRISPR, CAR-T Read More »
Now we have an interesting panel starting on questions of governance on human gene editing. This will focus on institutional and national levels of governance. Pilar N. Ossorio, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Morgridge Institute for Research, is introducing the panel. Key question: how should emerging technologies being governed? Jonathan Kimmelman, from McGill, was the first
Live Blogging #GeneEditSummit Day 2 Post #1: Governance of human gene editing Read More »
In a strange, but fascinating tale recounted by Antonio Regalado in an article over at MIT Tech Review, we hear the first claim of a do-it-yourself (DIY) gene therapy involving a firm called BioViva and its leader Liz Parrish. Liz Parrish and BioViva The owner of a small biotech called BioViva, Liz Parrish, reportedly traveled
Claim of Liz Parrish DIY gene therapy linked to unlicensed stem cell clinic Read More »