Platelet-rich plasma or PRP has become one of the most commonly used regenerative products at unproven clinics. The orthopedics departments at many universities are now offering PRP as well. What is behind this trend? How much data are there to back up all this enthusiasm for platelet-rich plasma? The goal of this post is to […]
2025 PRP fact-check and review: cost and possible benefits Read More »
If you tell a scientist that they should be growing a spine, they might take you literally. For instance, if you say this because you want a scientist to show some courage and speak out about something difficult, instead they might try to make an actual human spine in a lab. We’ll start there this
Weekly reads: grow a spine, China clears MSCs, Denise Richards, stem cell soups Read More »
Professor Charles Brenner of City of Hope does great research, but I also applaud his efforts against longevity hype. Recently, Brenner and James Timmons publicly questioned some of the work of Harvard Professor David Sinclair. It’s a notable case of academics intensely disagreeing in the public space. Background While it’s interesting, it’s also a somewhat
Perspectives as Charles Brenner challenges David Sinclair on longevity claims Read More »
One of the most common questions I get from patients is about stem cell therapy for knees. Can it help knee arthritis and pain? Today’s post is a fact-check of where things stand today in 2025 on stem cells for knee issues. You can watch a video overview of this stem cell therapy for knees
Stem cell therapy for knees 2025: fact-check, costs, risks Read More »
Each year I give out The Screamers Awards. As far as I know it’s the only science hype award in the world. The Screamers Awards recognize extreme examples of science hype, most often by the media. The major focus is on the biomedical sciences, but other areas of science are eligible too. Last year, the
Meet The Screamers Science Hype Awards 2024 nominees Read More »
Intermittent fasting must be good for stem cells, right? It’s not so clear. Like many things in biology, intermittent fasting can have seemingly opposite effects. Before we get into that, the news of the week is that the FDA approved Mesoblast’s Ryoncil MSC drug for some cases of pediatric GvHD. This has sparked lively discussion.
Weekly reads: intermittent fasting and stem cells, vet warning, blastemas Read More »
What is a stem cell therapy? Does it have to include stem cells put into the body? Would you include a therapy that uses differentiated cells made from stem cells? I generally do use the term in that broader way. A similar question comes to mind: what is regenerative medicine? Should it include both cell
Weekly stem cell reads: HSCT, old embryo models, aging stem cells Read More »
QC Kinetix is a relatively new regenerative clinic brand in the U.S. selling unproven cell therapies. I see several specific red flags including a class action lawsuit. They report having 150+ locations, making it potentially the largest chain of unproven clinics in the U.S. Collectively, these clinics could be seeing tens of thousands of customers.
QC Kinetix review: concerns on huge regenerative clinic chain Read More »
Remember former Trump’s FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb? Gottlieb’s back in the news in an interesting way related to the upcoming second Trump administration. I just wrote about what to expect from new FDA Commissioner nominee Marty Makary. In that piece, I noted that Scott Gottlieb first came to lead the FDA after a record of
Weekly reads: Scott Gottlieb v. RFK Jr., DNA typewriters, Arnold Caplan 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,