The FDA is holding its first 2016 stem cell meeting today and you can read about some impressions of the morning session of this meeting here. In this post, I’m focusing on the afternoon session, which has been mostly on policy and ethics, including on stem cell clinics. Jonathan Kimmelman from McGill University got the afternoon going […]
Blogging today’s FDA stem cell meeting: Part 2 Clinics, Policy & Ethics Read More »
Here is a hub for 2017 stem cell and regenerative medicine meetings. If you do not see your meeting, please let me know and I will include it. Change– I’m also going to be listing online courses (in red) this year. This list is meant to be as inclusive as possible, but by listing specific
Stem Cell Meetings & Conferences 2017 Read More »
This edition of our stem cell news bites finds a number of notable stem cell news items. A potentially cool link between gut stem cells and microbiota is reported by Tae-Hee Kim of the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine. See the nifty image of the stem cells from Dr. Kim showing proliferating gut cells in
Stem cell news bites: microbiota, clinic doc death, Stem Cells Inc, & more Read More »
The second day of ISSCR 2016 started off with a great session on pluripotency and plasticity, and the first talk was by Shinya Yamanaka. He changed the title of his talk to “Reprogramming of Cells and Scientist”. As with my other posts on this meeting, this one is a stream of quotes and impressions from
Shinya Yamanaka at ISSCR 2016 on reprogramming of cells & scientists Read More »
A brief report in the NEJM today highlights the risks facing patients who get stem cell treatment from dubious clinics as one such patient recently developed a large spinal tumor. Dr. Aaron L. Berkowitz and colleagues describe how this patient who received a mixture of several stem cell types from an overseas clinic was later diagnosed
Patient gets cancer growing on spine from dubious stem cells Read More »
In science we often use equipment, methods, or units that are named after accomplished scientists of the past without even thinking about it. Originally, this piece was going to be dedicated to those pioneering scientists, but then I realized they are essentially all men with disturbingly few possible exceptions. Is there rampant sexism in science naming at work
Sexism in Science Naming of Stuff? Bunsen, Petri, Southern, & More Read More »
A great new piece in The New Yorker by Dana Goodyear, The Stress Test, gives us a window into Charles Vacanti’s side of the STAP cell mess and includes recent quotes from him. It’s a long, fascinating look inside of STAP, the tangled and ultimately tragic scientific implosion that created and then brought down two Nature
Finally, Vacanti’s side of STAP cell implosion Read More »
The FDA in the past year or so has issued draft guidances on regulation of stem cells that would, if finalized, make it crystal clear that what many American stem cell clinics are selling are unapproved drugs. That would be a good thing for patients who are often being put at risk by many of
FDA meeting on stem cell regs: mostly who’s who of anti-regulation forces Read More »
Over the years I’ve often written about how unlicensed stem cell clinics and their physicians are putting patients at risk. In most if not all cases they are doing this simply for their own personal monetary gain. I do think that some of them truly believe they are helping patients, but still that doesn’t excuse
10 ways non-compliant stem cell clinic docs jeopardize their careers Read More »
Some American stem cell clinics that operate without FDA approval can give the appearance of being in the mainstream of academic stem cell research. Sometimes they go a step further to hint at or even say that they have some kind of federal approval as we saw in the past with the Stem.md website. Why