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Transdifferentiation makes a major advance: direct reprogramming of fibroblasts to oligodendrocyte progenitors

April 18, 2013 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 1 Comment

Back-to-back papers (here and here) in Nature Biotechnology report the transdifferentiation (now often simply referred to as “direct reprogramming”) of plain old fibroblasts into brain cells called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). OPCs are a remarkably useful kind of brain cell that generates myelin, which insulates nerves. OPCs are thought to have great therapeutic potential for …

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Great news as Sherley v Sebelius officially over: Supreme Court Takes a pass!

January 7, 2013 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D.

Today the Supreme Court agreed to review three cases, none of which were Sherley v Sebelius. What a great day! For those curious, Certiorari Granted (subheading on Supreme Court announcement) means the Court has granted review of these cases. This is wonderful news for patients, the stem cell field, and probably biotech Advanced Cell Technology …

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Real and imaginary conflicts of interest: a helpful guide

September 4, 2012 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 4 Comments

Conflicts-of-interest-creative-commons-image

What are Conflict of Interests (COI)? The term COI is sometimes used inappropriately as a weapon by one party to attempt to discredit others. We see this more and more frequently in the stem cell field with boosters of for-profit, non-FDA vetted adult stem cell clinics attacking scientists for supposed COIs for what…..apparently for simply …

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This blog deconstructed: some surprises

March 8, 2012 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 1 Comment

Who reads this blog? A bunch of cool people including in science, educators, reporters, and patient advocates around the world. Some of them contact me, almost always to say nice things. Sometimes not so nice. To my knowledge this blog remains the only one in the world on stem cells written by a faculty level …

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CIRM goes genomic

January 22, 2012 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D.

In June 2011 I did a post about genomics and its growing importance both for science and society. The stem cell field has a very rapidly accelerating genomic component as well. I went so far as to call it a revolution and I still believe that is not an exaggeration. CIRM has rightly recognized the …

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What does Geron’s departure mean for ACT? Some perspectives

January 19, 2012 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 2 Comments

About two months about Geron shocked and disappointed the stem cell community by dropping its stem cell program. The move was reportedly made for financial, not scientific reasons. Biotech companies have to be financially sound in order to help stem cell researchers turn science into cures and Geron’s leadership had to do what it thought …

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The Scarlett letter? What the experts really think about Geron

November 15, 2011 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 6 Comments

The grapevine is afire with the Geron news and there are many interpretations out there of what it means and why it happened. Based on several accounts from folks who remain anonymous, here is the most probable prediction of what happened to lead us to yesterday’s announcement. Geron has been worried for a long time …

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Bad news as Geron to quit hESC SCI trial for financial reasons

November 14, 2011 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 6 Comments

Reportedly, Geron has decided to only focus on cancer research and for financial reasons has shut down its hESC trial for spinal cord injury. This is a very sad day for stem cell science. (Update in 2020: the firm still exists, but is working in different areas. The stock has struggled.) No more spinal cord …

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The news of CIRM and clinical trial: don’t forget the patient

September 21, 2011 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 1 Comment

As much as so many were excited yesterday about the enrollment of the first patient in a CIRM-funded clinical trial, I did not see a mention of a very important element. The patient. Our excitement about the clinical trial moving forward is understandable, but we also need to keep a sober perspective on the fact …

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California pays its sports coaches alone more than the entire payroll of CIRM

July 13, 2011 February 1, 2021 / By Professor Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D. / 5 Comments

There has been a largely media-fed hullabaloo about the salary for the new Chair of CIRM, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, $400,000. Now don’t get me wrong, that sounds like a lot of money to me personally, but we need to put it in perspective and when we do, the salary is reasonable and …

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