Search Results for: crispr

REGROW Act is Attack on Science-Based Stem Cell Trial Oversight

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REGROW-Act

Senators Mark Kirk, Joe Manchin, and Susan Collins have proposed new legislation in the form of the REGROW Act that would substantially interfere with the FDA’s ability to properly regulate the development of new stem cell and regenerative medicine therapies based on hard science. The REGROW Act would force the FDA to allow rushed introduction of experimental stem […]

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Weekend reads: sperm, stem cells, chimeras, STAP, DNA Apps

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sperm-and-egg

Here are some cool science reads to enjoy this weekend. Lab-grown sperm made from stem cells can’t swim, but are able to fertilize eggs, reports Eric Boodman over at STAT. Mouse-human neural crest chimeras: Not only a matter of black and white. Clever title. Antonio Regalado writes about a DNA App Store coming soon to a

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A new possible environmental disaster: the gene spill

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Gene-spill

New genetic modification technology such as CRISPR-Cas9 has opened the door to transformative biological research, but it has also set the table for some novel kinds of technological problems for which we aren’t at all prepared including one that I call the “gene spill”. The striking potential upsides to CRISPR paired with some of the

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Join discussion of my new book GMO Sapiens on Talking Biopolitics tomorrow

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coverGMO-e1498086048321

I’ll be on Talking Biopolitics live tomorrow to discuss my new book, GMO Sapiens. You can RSVP at that link. You can get the Kindle version of the book here or the soft or cover versions at the publisher site here. Nathaniel Comfort will be interviewing me on the book and we’ll also be taking

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Recommended weekend reading on stem cells & science

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human-animal-chimeras

I try to catch up on my science reading over the weekends and evenings. Here’s my recommended weekend reading on stem cells & science. Did I miss anything especially cool? Let me know in the comments. Direct reprogramming of skin cells into insulin-producing cells. I love direct reprogramming. Healios and Athersys Enter Into Regenerative Medicine Partnership.

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NYT asks which sci-fi work is most prescient today: I think GATTACA

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GATTACA-poster

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

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Perspectives: no human genetic modification moratorium from organizers of #GeneEditSummit

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GeneEditSummit

I just got back from a historic summit on human genetic modification in Washington, D.C. New genetic modification technology, termed CRISPR-Cas9, has both made genetic modification a relatively simple matter for scientists and human genetic modification much more likely in the near future. Heritable human genetic modification could prevent some rare genetic diseases so there

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Human Gene Editing takeaways from day 1 of #GeneEditSummit

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The Summit on Human Gene Editing got off to a great start yesterday. I have four posts summarizing all the talks and my impressions on the points made (here, here, here, and here). What was the overall gestalt including from talking to people informally? What were the big takeaway messages so far from Day 1? Diverse views.

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