Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg is a stem cell pioneer and has advanced the development of innovative stem cell therapies including those based on umbilical cord blood. She is a faculty member at Duke where she conducts her clinical research. I recently interviewed Dr. Kurtzberg and below is Part 1 of 2 of the interview. Part 2, […]
Stem Cell Pioneer Joanne Kurtzberg interview, Part 1 Read More »
It’s Friday so time for some stem cell headlines. TGIF….although of course the stem cells will be growing, experiments going, the grants and papers continue being written, and data still analyzed on Saturdays and Sundays too in the stem cell field. Stem cells are not a Mon-Fri, 9-5 kind of universe, but most of you
TGIF: musings on recent stem cell headlines: some good, some stupid Read More »
Every now and I then I try to take some time to think about the focus of this blog and the direction it is going. In the most recent case, I got the feeling that perhaps I have giving too discouraged or negative an impression on the blog lately….focusing too much on the challenges and
Why I am very optimistic about the future of the stem cell field Read More »
One of the more controversial areas in the stem cell field has been over a stem cell type that only a handful of researchers have been able to find and study: very small embryonic-like stem cells or VSELs. These days some are calling them V-cells too. I’ve been getting an increasing number of questions from
What are VSELs and why are more clinics selling them? Read More »
Today’s post is my no-B.S. guide to the possibility of stem cells for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). There is a great deal of buzz about using stem cells to treat or even cure multiple sclerosis. How much of this stem cell buzz is real hope and how much is hype? Symptoms and standard MS care MS has
A no B.S. guide to stem cells for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Read More »
New ISSCR President, Dr. Janet Rossant, kindly agreed to do an interview with me focused on the future of ISSCR, her plans for her tenure, and some key issues in the field. Dr. Rossant is Chief of Research at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. 1. The stem cell arena is a very rapidly changing one
About a year ago, I heard from multiple credible sources that there were ongoing federal probes into potential criminal activities related to bogus or dangerously noncompliant stem cell medical interventions, which could lead to prison time. Since then it has been relatively quiet….that is until the last couple months when again I am hearing from
What would federal prison be like for a non-compliant stem cell doc? Read More »
What really happened at XCell-Center in Germany, formerly the largest stem cell clinic in Europe? A baby died after receiving treatment there. Why? Was the death in any way connected to stem cells? (update: note that since post originally went up, quite a few more patient deaths both a clinics and in clinical trials have
Commenter Claims XCell-Center Stem Cell Clinic Got a Bad Rap, Provides New Details Read More »
Where do things stand today for using stem cells to treat COPD? Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a relatively common, often debilitating illness, which has a major impact on the people of the world. In the US alone, COPD costs the country almost $50 billion a year not to mention untold suffering. Most of
Can stem cells help COPD? Read More »
Over at the Harvard Law “Bill of Health” blog, Mary Ann Chirba and Alice A. Nobel posted a piece entitled “Our Bodies, Our Cells” a few days ago that has generated a lot of discussion about FDA regulation of stem cell interventions. Their piece really has two parts. In the first part they go through
My response to ‘Our Bodies, Our Cells’ Harvard post on deregulation Read More »