I think the number of main stream media articles on stem cells that are dumb is increasing…some weeks it’s hard to choose which is the dumbest in fact. This week it is not so hard to pick. The Daily Mail has an epic fail piece on a British company’s dubious stem cell treatment for wrinkles …
Dumb stem cell article of the week goes to the Daily Mail on stem cell cosmetics Read More »
The founder of Korean stem cell corporation, RNL Bio, Dr. Jeong-Chan Ra, may be most well-known in the U.S. for his association with Texas Stem Cell Clinic, Celltex, which gave Guv Rick Perry his stem cell transplant. RNL Bio is also the first major company to be sued in U.S. federal court for fraud over …
Francisco Morales and Lawrence Stowe, have pleaded guilty to federal charges related to dubious stem cell treatments. The pair pled guilty to conspiracy charges related to introducing “misbranded and unapproved new drugs into interstate commerce”. The drugs in question? Stem cells. Patrick J. Holland of the FDA said “the FDA is committed to investigating those …
Stem cell frauds Morales and Stowe plead guilty to federal charges: who’s next? Read More »
For years now we’ve had a war in the world of stem cells. The war has been primarily centered on embryonic stem cell research (ESCR). The reason I call it a “war” is that opponents of ESCR have declared a “culture war” on ESCR and ESC researchers. I don’t like the term “war”, but if …
Update on stem cell culture war: from Pepsi to Personhood & Romney to rogue clinics Read More »
What are Conflict of Interests (COI)? The term COI is sometimes used inappropriately as a weapon by one party to attempt to discredit others. We see this more and more frequently in the stem cell field with boosters of for-profit, non-FDA vetted adult stem cell clinics attacking scientists for supposed COIs for what…..apparently for simply …
Real and imaginary conflicts of interest: a helpful guide Read More »
The stem cell world is getting more complicated. There are more good guys and bad guys out there than ever. In the Old West, at least as portrayed in the old movies I used to watch as a kid, the bad guy often had a black hat and the good guy a white hat. In …
Who’s who? How to tell the stem cell good guys from the bad guys Read More »
Over the years on a fairly regular basis I’ve been contacted by patients seeking information about stem cell treatments and stem cell clinics. Note that patients may want to check out my stem cell patient guide, which has key questions and advocates for a critical, skeptical view of these offerings. But in 2012 the number …
Dubious stem cell clinics increasing and at epidemic levels Read More »
Today the US Federal Court of Appeals via a 3-judge panel ruled in favor of continued NIH funding of human embryonic stem cell research (hESCR). The ruling is a setback for pro-life extremists trying to shut down a very promising avenue of stem cell-based regenerative medicine with their lawsuit. It’s a good day for the …
Analysis: what does the federal court embryonic ruling really mean & what’s next? Read More »
Last year then NY Yankees pitcher, Bartolo Colon, received a dubious stem cell treatment in his home Dominican Republic. Colon seemed to bounce back from an injury after the stem cell treatment and some attributed this to his stem cell treatment. Other famous athletes including other pitchers and NFL players have since then also gotten similar …
Why are some scientists so inept socially and end up in struggles interacting with other people? Kindergarten! Yes, my theory is that many of the key events are traceable to kindergarten and more specifically to what future scientists failed to learn then even if they technically passed the class and moved on to first grade. …