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 […]
In all the time I’ve been a scientist I never worried about American science until the last month. Even during the first Trump administration, while there were challenges, I felt like things would generally be okay. Research continued. One of my daughters and I went to the Science March in 2017 in Sacramento. We bumped
Weekly reads: blowtorch to American science, stem cells for teeth & stroke Read More »
It’s been an exhausting week for anyone who cares about the NIH and biomedical research, but in today’s weekly reads I want to talk about another kind of fatigue: stem cell exhaustion. Please subscribe to The Niche Before we get into that, I’d like to ask a favor: please subscribe to this site, The Niche.
Weekly reads: stem cell exhaustion, Lineage Cell trial, Iowa AG wins vs. clinics Read More »
A Texas firm called INCELL Corporation has received an FDA warning letter about an amniotic product it manufactures. The letter was addressed to the firm’s founder and leader Dr. Mary Pat Moyer. The letter is somewhat unusual as Dr. Moyer is the Chief Science Officer of INCELL, and is an academic scientist with over 250
NAE member Mary Pat Moyer on FDA Warning Letter to her firm INCELL Corporation Read More »
Biologist and ancient DNA expert Beth Shapiro is becoming more well known for doing de-extinction research. Yet Shapiro used to be a de-extinction skeptic. Ten years ago she wrote “How to Clone a Mammoth.” In the book she mentioned serious challenges related to de-extinction. Now she is the CSO for a firm trying to make
Weekly reads: Beth Shapiro & de-extinction, mice with two dads, stem cell patches Read More »
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 »
How seriously should we take tech bro manifestos? Also, what do the tech bros — the billionaires and centimillionaires who made their fortunes founding, running, or investing in tech companies — have to say specifically about the future of biology including regenerative medicine and stem cell research related to AI? A fair bit, as it
Tech Bro Manifestos, AI, and the Future of Biology (& Stem Cells) Read More »
RFK isn’t even confirmed as HHS Secretary and things are going south already with an NIH freeze. What do I mean? NIH freeze could do lasting damage to biomedical research The Trump Administration has frozen many NIH processes including meetings such as study sections that evaluate grant proposals. No study sections means almost no new
It’s important to pay attention to science hype, which is the rationale for The Screamers Science Hype Awards. As far as I know, it’s the only award for science hype. Exaggerating research and medical potential clearly does harm. I wrote a few weeks ago about the nominees for the 2024 The Screamers Awards. Now it’s
Winner of The Screamers Science Hype Award: local TV stations pushing stem cell clinics Read More »
What are the current FDA-approved cell and gene therapies? How many of those involve true stem cells? Many of us have wished for a more specific list of FDA-approved stem cell therapies. Patients and fellow scientists often asked me about such lists. They even wish for annotated lists. For that reason, I’ve made and kept
Updated 2025 List of FDA-Approved Cell and Gene Therapies Read More »