One of the hottest topics in the biomedical world in 2015 is heritable human genetic modification including via germ cells. There is an unsettling sense that genetically modified human germ cells and eventually GMO human beings are likely coming even if science and society are not ready for it. There are a hodgepodge of laws against human […]
Proposed Moratorium on Genetic Modification of Human Germ Cells Read More »
Every year I do a list of top predictions for the coming year for the stem cell and regenerative medicine field. For example, you can see past top 10 predictions lists for 2013 and 2014. What’s in store for 2015 from the stem cell crystal ball? There is so much going on that for this
Stem Cell Predictions for 2015 Read More »
One of the bigger stem cell stories in the past week was that hockey legend Gordie Howe had received a stem cell ‘treatment” that had “miraculous” positive effects after having a few strokes over the last couple months. (update: see more on celebrities rolling the dice on unproven stem cells here). I am highly skeptical of
Checking Supposed Stem Cell Miracle for Gordie Howe Read More »
Every year I look into my stem cell crystal ball and make a top 10 list of stem cell predictions for the coming year. My predictions for 2015 will be coming up soon and I may bump them up to 20 predictions instead of 10 because there’s so much going on in the field. Stay
Stem cell crystal ball: how did my 2014 predictions fare? Read More »
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 »
Looking for a stem cell book that is clear and tells the real story of stem cells? Take a look at my book, Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide. It is a broad look at the exciting stem cell field, warts and all. I’ve written about the types of stem cells, what goes on in research labs studying these
With more than 4,142 votes cast, the readers of this blog have chosen the top 12 finalists for the Stem Cell Person of the Year Award for 2014 from the 27 nominees. You can see the final vote tallies at left. The votes came from more than 50 countries with some interesting geographic patterns (I
Diverse Stem Cell Person of the Year 2014 Award Finalists Read More »
With one week left to vote to pick the top 12 finalists for the Stem Cell Person of the Year 2014 Award, we have more than 2,800 votes in so far. From the top 12 vote-getters, I will choose the winner. This is the third year of this award. I self-fund this award out of
Stem Cell Person of the Year Award 2014 Voting: Who Will Be Finalists? Read More »
The stem cell biotech Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) reported new, positive data in a paper in Lancet from their clinical trials using retinal pigmented epithelial cells (RPEs) made from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) for treatment of different forms of macular degeneration (MD). The paper was entitled “Human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium in patients with age-related
Advanced Cell Technology pub: Trial for Macular Degeneration Read More »
The idea of using stem cells for treat Type I Diabetes is very promising and could have huge practical impact. Real progress has been achieved toward this goal over the last decade. In perhaps another decade there might be a validated treatment. A new stem cell paper has just come out in Cell from Harvard in this
Takeaways From Harvard Stem Cells for Diabetes Paper Read More »