Concerns over stem cell clinics allegedly causing blindness or other vision problems have been increasing in 2016. If this is in fact happening, the extra sad part of this is that some clinics have claimed that they are doing the opposite: improving vision in patients. What are the concerns? Earlier this year a publicly-traded stem […]
2nd lawsuit alleging a U.S. stem cell clinic caused blindness Read More »
I’m hearing more questions from the community about alleged harm from stem cell clinics selling stem cells for a number of vision-related conditions and some concerns include the so-called SCOTS study. I first blogged about SCOTS early this year and back then I myself had questions too. Some commenters then raised concerns or questions about SCOTS in
SCOTS Study on Stem Cells for Vision: Still Questions as Patient Alleges Harm Read More »
Will Trump trump the FDA? Our President-elect recently released his health care policy agenda and it looks like the FDA is a target in terms of reducing oversight. Over at the Washington Post, Carolyn Johnson has a nice article on this development. One point in the agenda in particular has caught people’s attention as potentially the key
Trump Has FDA in Crosshairs: Impact on Stem Cell Oversight? Read More »
The FDA caused major controversy by approving the drug Exondys 51 from Sarepta Therapeutics for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy over the recommendations of a scientific panel it convened that had voted 7-3 against approval. Is this contentious Sarepta approval serve as a sign of how the FDA will deal with stem cells moving forward? Will the FDA approval, which
Internal FDA Fighting on Sarepta Bad Omen for Stem Cell Oversight? Read More »
By Samantha Yammine, PhD Candidate in Derek van der Kooy’s lab at the University of Toronto. See tweets live from #TMM2016 via @SamanthaZY here. Last week, 430 Canadian scientists, trainees, industry professionals, science communicators and international guests gathered in the picturesque ski town of Whistler, British Columbia for the annual Till & McCulloch meeting (TMM).
Do we own our cells? Do we have some intrinsic right to them once they are outside our bodies? One of the arguments I hear most often from physicians at stem cell clinics and some clinic patients is that patients have an inherent right to ownership and almost unlimited use of their own stem cells, but over
Our bodies, not our cells? Read More »
If you rewind the stem cell clock several years, the big news in the stem cell clinic arena was dominated for quite some time by a single stem cell clinic called Celltex in Texas in part because their most famous customer was Governor (at that time) Rick Perry. You can read the many past posts I’ve
Rick Perry’s Paid Board Position at Controversial Stem Cell Clinic Celltex Read More »
Happy Stem Cell Day! It is a tumultuous time for the stem cell and regenerative medicine fields, but despite this there are concrete reasons for optimism on this Stem Cell Awareness Day. I’ve listed my top 10 below. What else gives you a sense of optimism? You can also check out CIRM’s nifty stem cell
Reasons for optimism on Stem Cell Day 2016 Read More »
Any takers on the idea that we can get radical life extension through new technologies like stem cells, organ replacement, cybernetics, or genetic modification? Or just through healthier living in general? A new Nature paper says there’s a natural limit on human lifespan around age 115 and getting past that is just not going to
KPBS reporter David Wagner has an important new piece out today on for-profit investigational stem cell treatments and he focuses to a large extent on a stem cell business in San Diego called Stemedica. If you’ve heard of this company it might be in part because they were involved in the Gordie Howe stem cells for stroke story that got
KPBS sheds new light on Jim Gass stem cell case, Stemedica Read More »