23andMe CEO, Anne Wojcicki, just emailed 23andMe customers (me included) with the big news that the FDA has approved the company to offer Bloom syndrome carrier status reporting. As Wojcicki points out, this is the first time ever that the FDA has granted authorization of a direct-to-consumer genetic test. This is a huge deal. Why […]
Landmark decision: FDA Approves 23andMe Genetic Test Read More »
The still mysterious BioGatekeeper had challenged Yamanaka’s IPS cell patent claiming that it was obvious. The potential implications were huge given the commercial interest in translating IPS cell technology. For background see here, here, and here. There’s pretty much zero information on BioGatekeeper otherwise. Despite the potential seriousness of this patent challenge, just a few days
Challenge of Yamanaka Patent by BioGatekeeper Fails Read More »
It seems hard to believe it was a year ago that the STAP cell Nature papers came out to much fanfare on January 29, 2014. These now discredited and retracted papers reported a supposed new method to easily make reprogrammed powerful stem cells, a finding touted as a Nobel Prize-worthy discovery. Now a year later on
Personal Reflections on STAP Cell Mess On 1-Year Anniversary Read More »
When I started blogging in 2010 the stem cell arena was a very different place including the fact I could count the number of US stem cell clinics on one hand. This blog, called The Niche for many years, was just “Knoepfler Stem Cell Blog” back then. Also, back then the hot topic was the
Stem cell clinics, FDA, & giant, unapproved for-profit human experiments Read More »
Garrison Keillor’s NPR show A Prairie Home Companion would sometimes report from a small fictional town call Lake Wobegon. Frankly, I found that show really boring, but I always chuckled when I heard this line: “Well, that’s the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and
The Lake Wobegon Effect in Science: Where Every Paper is Above Average Read More »
This week the big Winnipeg Free Press story on the Regenetek/Doug Broeska alleged stem cell fraud case broke (covered here on this blog). David Audley was quoted in the story as a Regenetek spokesperson so I asked him for further comment and below is what he emailed me for this post. David Audley: “1. GoodPartners
More on alleged stem cell clinic fraud: statement from David Audley Read More »
What’s Cambrian Genomics? With rapid advances in genomics, gene editing, and methods to reproduce life in the lab such as cloning, today creating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has never been easier. While there have been of course loads of discussions of GMOs in the past, we are entering a new era of what one might
Austen Heinz of Cambrian Genomics Interview: GMO creatures & people Read More »
One of the most exciting developments in the biomedical sciences in 2014 was the announcement of the new Allen Institute for Cell Science. This new institute, which will be focused on cell biology, received $100 million in funding from high-tech pioneer and philanthropist, Paul Allen. I am very curious about how the institute will tackle cell
Horwitz Interview Zooms in on Allen Cell Institute: the GoogleMaps of Cells Read More »
I recently started a poll on this blog asking for people’s views of post-publication (post-pub) review. Post-pub review includes a wide range of formats of reviews of scientific publications that occurs, as the name suggests, happens after the paper in question is published. In contrast, of course, peer review of papers happens before publication. Post-pub review
Thumbs Up For Post-Publication Peer Review in Poll; Dissenters Fault “Gotcha” Mentality Read More »
Is it the beginning of the end for dubious American clinics that sell transplants of unproven and non-FDA approved fat stem cell injections? As the year of 2014 was winding down, the FDA issued two key new draft guidances (see here and here) that could prove to be crash diets for these burgeoning fat stem cell clinics. (Update: As of
FDA to Put Mushrooming Fat Stem Cell Clinics on Crash Diet? Read More »