Supposedly there is a type of normal adult stem cell that intrinsically possesses many of the same properties as embryonic stem cells (ESCs). No reprogramming needed. No blastocysts needed. These reportedly amazing cells, called Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells (VSELs), can in theory be isolated from umbilical cord blood (UCB) or even bone marrow. Yet […]
What are pericytes? What about brain pericytes? How are they different than brain parasites? Pericytes on the brain Someone once asked me my favorite type of cell. As a cell biologist, I easily can’t pick just one. It’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. However, I will say that pericytes and microglia
Stem cells can be serious business, but sometimes stories come along that are just fun like a lady running a marathon dressed as a stem cell. How cool is this: “Louise Cato from Somerset is doing the run to raise money for the charity Anthony Nolan, after her dad had a bone marrow transplant over
Weekly reads: stem cell marathon, Ray Therapeutics, stem cells making you fat? Read More »
There is growing interest in a possible new reproductive method based on something called in vitro gametogenesis or IVG. Today’s post explains IVG including its potential pros and cons. I also discuss why its possible combination with gene editing is so potentially fraught, which is a big potential con. Let’s start with an explanation of this
What are possible side effects of stem cell therapy ? Patients often reach out to ask about such risks They usually refer to unproven stem cell clinics. Today’s post addresses the scope of stem cell therapy side effects and risks based on available hard data. It’s also important to discuss possible unknown risks. Stem cell
Stem cell therapy side effects & risks at clinics Read More »
Toward the end of each year I make predictions for the stem cell and regenerative medicine field for the coming year. I’ve been doing this for more than a dozen years in various forms. In this post I’m looking at the (gene-edited, stemness enriched) tea leaves for 2025 for the regenerative arena. These predictions include
25 stem cell & regenerative medicine predictions for 2025 Read More »
Is there a proven stem cell therapy for vision loss? When I started The Niche back in early 2010, one major area of hope was that there might one day be a stem cell therapy for vision loss or even blindness. Maybe even a cure for blindness. While we’re not there yet as a field,
People often ask me what is the most promising new cell therapy and while it is difficult to choose just one, I often highlight the promise of stem cells for diabetes. Here in the U.S., early data from diabetes clinical trials by Vertex look encouraging. Other teams worldwide are also working in this space and
How is research looking on stem cells for diabetes? I’m feeling more encouraged about the clinical research in that area. Before we jump into that let’s talk about two other things. The big news of the week was the felony plea deal by Liveyon’s John Kosolcharoen to charges related to marketing an unapproved cell therapy
The FDA has a unique mechanism called RMAT or regenerative medicine advanced therapy designation. It’s intended to move investigational regenerative therapies forward more effectively. RMAT data I recently updated The Niche RMAT list and it has jumped to 85. The FDA has approved many new RMATs this year. The data on how many applications the FDA