Remember good old Celltex? That’s the Texas stem cell clinic with the famous patient, former Texas Governor and two-time GOP Presidential hopeful, Rick Perry. It ran afoul of the FDA and headed for the border, setting up shop in Cancun, Mexico. They have since mostly flown under the radar with the exception of their concerning […]
Tex-Mex Stem Cell Clinic, Celltex, on PR roll with young & famous patients Read More »
It seems like Fridays are always a good time for reflection. It’s not like the scientist’s week ends on Friday sad to say, but still at least we can pause momentarily TGIF style and reflect on the maelstrom that is our lives, while cracking open another diet Coke or pouring another cup of coffee. This
TGIF: Stem Cell Stream of Consciousness Including CRISPR Read More »
Is it the beginning of the end for dubious American clinics that sell transplants of unproven and non-FDA approved fat stem cell injections? As the year of 2014 was winding down, the FDA issued two key new draft guidances (see here and here) that could prove to be crash diets for these burgeoning fat stem cell clinics. (Update: As of
FDA to Put Mushrooming Fat Stem Cell Clinics on Crash Diet? Read More »
For the worlds of biology and cell biology including the stem cell field more specifically, the holidays came early with some fantastic news. Philanthropist and Microsoft co-Founder Paul Allen will give $100 million to form a new institute focused on cell biology in Seattle. The Allen Institute for Cell Science has an ambitious mission dedicated to
How cool is it that literally fuzzy new stem cells called “F-class cells” bring substantial new sharp focus to the cellular reprograming arena? Remember Project Grandiose led by the great stem cell scientist Andras Nagy? It’s a massive project intended to decipher what makes stem cells tick and how ordinary cells be changed or reprogrammed into powerful
Fuzzy New Stem Cells Bring Reprogramming into Focus Read More »
StemCells, Inc. is one of those stem cell-related biotech companies that we in the field hope will become a big success and help many patients in the future via stem cell technology. There are a lot of obstacles facing such companies. Some are privately held, while others such as StemCells, Inc. are publicly traded (stock
StemCells, Inc. Faces Lawsuit With Serious Allegations Read More »
The Oregon State Medical Board took emergency action to suspend the medical license of Dr. Kenneth Welker of Eugene, Oregon on Thursday. Update: Unfortunately, the Associate Press (AP) story on this topic (discussed more below) contains numerous important mistakes including thoroughly mixing up embryonic, adult, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Keep that in mind. Also, sadly
Emergency Suspension of Stem Cell Clinic Doc Kenneth Welker Read More »
Where do things stand with some players in the for-profit world of stem cell and cellular medicine companies? Here are a few brief news items with quick analysis. Mesoblast is dominating the news of late. Mesoblast reported good news from its Phase II safety trial for its mesenchymal progenitor cell (MPC) product in patients with
Stem Cell & Cell Med Industry Briefs Read More »
In a 2009 article on stem cells in the journal Stem Cells, Deconstructing Stem Cell Tumorigenicity: A Roadmap to Safe Regenerative Medicine, I coined a new word: stemotoxic It’s a useful word on a number of levels for the stem cell field. What does “stemotoxic” mean? I hope it is fairly intuitive in that it means something
Stemotoxic: a new, important word for stem cell gurus to know Read More »
I get contacted by a growing number of people on a weekly basis wanting to communicate about stem cells. I think it is largely because of this blog and my educational outreach efforts. Mostly these folks have questions for me. Other times they cold contact me to provide me with information that does not address
Stem Cell Deep Throats: Anonymous Sources for this Blog Read More »