Search Results for: stem cells for ms

8 simple reasons not to get an unlicensed stem cell treatment part 2: lack of follow-up

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I’m doing a series of posts on straightforward reasons why patients should not get unlicensed stem cell treatments. Part 1 of the series was on the risk of losing medical insurance coverage. Today is part 2, which is focused on a serious failing of many for-profit, point-of-care stem cell clinics selling unlicensed treatments: lack of […]

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Yamanaka on making iPS cells from each patient: ‘in reality, we cannot do that’

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One of the big issues related to using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells is cost. To make iPS cells from each patient for subsequent stem cell-based treatment would cost a fortune, by some estimates $200,000 or more per patient if done one-by-one. It could easily end up not being covered by insurances companies and Medicare,

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Money and stem cell ‘miracles’: Pluristem questioned on ethics

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Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. is a publicly traded (NASDAQ) biotech Israeli company that is developing stem cell treatments based on the use of expanded placental stem cells called PLX cells. The Pluristem PLX drug is not approved for treating patients at this time in any country, however Pluristem has treated a handful of patients via something

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Is Moriguchi a tip of an iceberg for ethical problems in science? How many Moriguchi Jr’s are out there?

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The big scandal about alleged, later mostly recanted transplants of iPS cells (for more on iPS cells see here) into human patients centered on one fellow named Hisashi Moriguchi. For more on the case see here. Clearly Moriguchi is to blame for his lies. The paper Yomiuri is also to blame for splashing the unverified

Is Moriguchi a tip of an iceberg for ethical problems in science? How many Moriguchi Jr’s are out there? Read More »

Vatican reboots stem cell meeting for 2013, boots ES cell researchers

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The Vatican is still interested in stem cells and after its own debacle with a stem cell meeting planned for 2012 that turned into a scandal for them. For that original 2012 meeting they had wisely invited a full spectrum of stem cell researchers including those working on embryonic stem cells, to have great discussions.

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If Romney wins, look for extremist Witherspoon Council to control his stem cell policy

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The odds of Mitt Romney becoming our next President seem to be increasing. If Romney becomes our next president, what will he do about stem cells? He’ll be an active enemy of embryonic stem cell research. He’ll support the crazy personhood movement. Why do I say that? Earlier this year I had a run in

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A tribute to Nobel Laureate E. Donnall Thomas, a true stem cell pioneer

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I was fortunate enough to do my postdoctoral studies at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (aka “The Hutch”) in Seattle. I was a postdoc for more years than I’d like to admit, but it was a wonderful experience. The Hutch is the kind of place where you can imagine making the impossible become possible

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Dedifferentiation of neurons & astrocytes into glioma forming cells

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A team from the Salk Institute in La Jolla led by Inder Verma has reported dedifferentiation in a paper in Science some important findings that I believe make their paper in the top 10 as a candidate for paper of the year. The paper, entitled “Dedifferentiation of Neurons and Astrocytes by Oncogenes Can Induce Gliomas

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Will stem cell clinic Celltex reinvent itself after game-changing FDA warning letter?

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The FDA warning letter that Celltex received in late September (but that just went public yesterday–see my initial reaction here) is a possible game-changer for that company in my opinion. Why? The letter outlined in great detail the FDA’s concerns with how Celltex manufactures its stem cell product ranging from lack of documentation to concerns about aseptic/sterile

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Moriguchi talks about himself & Yamanaka in new article that now invokes MIT along with Harvard in supposed iPS cell transplants in humans

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Did Dr. Hisashi Moriguchi really transplant iPS cells into human patients? The story has the stem cell field abuzz. My mind keeps changing on this one as earlier today I thought the whole thing maybe was a bunch of fluff, but now there is yet another new article (see headline below) in the Daily Yomiuri providing

Moriguchi talks about himself & Yamanaka in new article that now invokes MIT along with Harvard in supposed iPS cell transplants in humans Read More »