It’s a particularly exciting time for the stem cell field. One of the most notable developments in the last year or so is the production and preliminary study of a totally new type of human embryonic stem cells (ESC) made by nuclear transfer instead of using leftover in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos. This process of so-called […]
Dieter Egli Interview: NT-ES cells, IPSC, Mitochondrial Transfer, & More Read More »
What are super cells? Guest post by Lisa Willemse Last month, on this blog, Paul wrote an article about loopholes in the clinicaltrials.gov database that allows for-profit companies to advertise their “therapies” under the guise of a registered clinical trial. This is a real concern for our community, especially those among us who have recommended
Super Cells exhibit and why we bother with public outreach Read More »
Congratulations to Masayo Takahashi (高橋 政代), MD, PhD, the winner of the 2014 Stem Cell Person of the Year Award. Dr. Takahashi received this award including the $2,000 prize for her exceptional achievements in stem cell research in 2014. She was selected as the winner from a stellar group of top 12 finalists this year. Takahashi leads
Stem Cell Person of the Year 2014: Masayo Takahashi (高橋 政代) Read More »
Dear UK Parliament and Science and Technology Committee, I am writing to you about your deliberations on “mitochondrial donation” (also known as 3-parent technology) intended for the purpose of preventing heritable mitochondrial disorders. I am concerned about the Department of Health’s recent draft regulations that would allow 3-parent experiments to go forward and the possibility that the UK
Open letter to UK Parliament: avoid historic mistake on rushing 3-parent technology Read More »
Chalk up another exciting development for the stem cell and regenerative medicine field in 2014 related to diabetes. It’s been a huge year. (Update: read my Fall 2019 interview with ViaCyte here.) For the first time ever, an ES cell-based device has been transplanted into a diabetic patient. ViaCyte working together with Dr. Robert Henry
Diabetes Stem Cell Milestone: ViaCyte Transplants 1st Patient Read More »
It’s hard to even imagine the world of investigative medicine without the wonderful resource of Clinicaltrials.gov, the global hub for clinical trial listings. I recently interviewed the Director of Clinicaltrials.gov, Dr. Deborah Zarin here, which is a fascinating read. As great as Clinicaltrials.gov is as a resource, unfortunately it faces a new, rapidly growing problem that is a serious
Clinicaltrials.gov Mission At Risk From Proliferating For-Profit Trials Read More »
This post is the first in a series about the Clinicaltrials.gov website. This piece is an interview the Director, Dr. Deborah Zarin. I want to thank her for taking the time to answer my questions. Later, I will post Part 2 in which I discuss my concerns about the trend of for-profit stem cell clinic trials
Interview with Clinicaltrials.gov Director Deborah Zarin Read More »
What is the role of public education and stem cell tourism? What type of education is available to patients, caregivers and the public? Can public education actually change people’s minds such that they won’t undergo an unproven stem cell-based intervention (SCBI)? These are the questions I will discuss here. But first, let’s just give a
Stem Cell Tourism and Patient Education Read More »
Nominations are now open for the 2014 Stem Cell Person of the Year Award. The winner receives $2,000 as well as recognition as a true difference maker and leader in the stem cell field. I found the first two years of this award process that all the finalists received a great deal of positive attention
Nominations Open for 2014 Stem Cell Person of the Year with $2,000 Prize Read More »
Sperm and brain tumors? Sometimes in science there are unexpected threads tying seemingly very different things together. Unraveling the knots in these threads can lead to new insights into important developmental processes and mechanisms of disease. My lab studies epigenomic and transcription factors including a molecule called histone variant H3.3 (more here on H3.3). H3.3
What is the connection between sperm and brain tumors? Read More »