George Bush deserves credit for iPS cells? No way. One of the weapons in the war against stem cell therapies is the use of a seemingly simple word: “ethical”. What does it mean to do ethical science in general and in particular what is ethical stem cell research? Who decides? According to the opponents of […]
News flash: George Bush deserves credit for iPS cells? Read More »
With the bewildering amount of news about stem cells, how do we tell the difference between hype and hope? Although the words “hype” and “hope” only differ by one letter, sometimes it is hard to tell them apart in real life, but of course they are very different things. So how do we know when
Stem cell hype: distinguishing it from hope Read More »
We have a running series here on The Niche on the Republican candidates including Rick Perry for the GOP nomination for President for the 2012 Election. I blogged about Romney here, Huntsman here, and talked about Tex Guv Perry’s own stem cell transplant here. I also discussed the Republican field more generally in my podcast
If Rick Perry is Prez what’s impact on stem cell research? Read More »
The Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry, an opponent of Embryonic Stem (ES) cell research, has reportedly undergone an experimental procedure on his spine involving autologous transplantation of adult stem cells taken from his hip. The procedure, which is not FDA approved and costs tens of thousands of dollars, has no proven track record of success
Tex Guv Rick Perry Gets Stem Cell Treatment: what if ES cells were his only hope? Read More »
Two companies, Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) and Geron, both HQ’d here in California, have FDA-approved early stage clinical trials in the works. Geron’s trial has already started and reportedly now has enrolled at least two patients. The trial is of course for the safety of Geron’s GRNOPC1 oligodendrocyte product made from human ES cells for
Advanced Cell Technology and Geron: allies or competitors? Read More »
The ultra right-wing Family Research Council (FRC), a non-scientific organization, today issued a press release slamming the National Science Foundation (NSF), one of the premier scientific organizations in the world over their supposed ignorance about stem cells. What sparked the FRC’s ire was a press release from NSF that discussed a paper in Cell that
Family Research Council angrily calls NSF ignorant about stem cells: reality check! Read More »
I’ve been lecturing on stem cells as a professor here at UC Davis School of Medicine for many years so I can answer common questions such as “What are stem cells?” The medical students ask many great questions. They are always interested in clinical applications. The goal of today’s article is to help you have
What are stem cells? Definition & applications Read More »
What are the stem cell talking points for politicians and how should scientists talk to them? In the debate over funding for embryonic stem cell research, it is usually assumed that Democrats are in favor of embryonic stem cell research and that Republicans are opposed. But recent polls suggest that amongst the U.S. population as
Greatest hits: stem cell talking points for Republicans Read More »
What are the top stem cell blogs and websites? Who decides? Americans and people all over the world are inexorably changing how they get their information. While newspapers and the nightly news used to spoon-feed us the “top stories” in the news, their heyday is over and now most people get their news and information
What are the top stem cell blogs and websites in the world Read More »
We’ve all been closely following Geron and its work on ES cells. This morning there was a fantastic session here at the ASGCT meeting in Seattle on Clinical Trials on Stem Cells. Talk by Geron One of the speakers was Geron VP, Jane Lebkoswki, PhD: Development of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Based Therapies for Treatment of
Stem Cell Clinical Trials Part I: Geron VP Lebkoswki speaking today in Seattle Read More »