The State of California is considering re-funding its stem cell agency, CIRM, to the tune of more than $5 billion dollars, but the issue has generated surprisingly little media attention. The main coverage has been by David Jensen over at California Stem Cell Report. Prop 14 polling data non-existent in public domain To my knowledge, […]
Prop 14 polling on CIRM re-funding stays moderately upbeat Read More »
Does time seem somewhat warped to anyone else in 2020 even without having had COVID, which could alter brain function? It just seems like with everything going on that time simultaneously both drags and zooms by this year. One sort of reassuring element is that papers keep on being published so we can enjoy cool
Weekly reads: lab meat, crow brain biology, direct reprogramming, more Read More »
Back at the beginning of the year I surveyed you readers here on The Niche about the future of CIRM and whether California voters would approve more funding for it in November. That funding effort is now on the ballot as Proposition 14. A month earlier late in 2019 in my yearly 20 predictions for
Polls: will California approve Prop 14 to fund CIRM again? Should it? Read More »
When you sit down to read science on the weekends lately, assuming you are not primarily a COVID-19 researcher, how much COVID stuff seeps into your reading? As I was going over some of this year’s recommended weekly reads posts here on The Niche, I’ve realized that an increasing amount of COVID-19 research has joined
Recommended reads: PSC, COVID, FDA pledge, sci jobs Read More »
Something called, “The International Commission on the Clinical Use of Human Germline Genome Editing” has issued a new report on heritable human genome editing (HHGE). The Commission was convened by the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.K.’s Royal Society. This post is my initial take on the summary of
New human genome editing (HHGE) academy report: solid, but key gaps Read More »
Another week and more great papers and interesting news in the regenerative medicine sphere including COVID-19 updates, stem cells for vision, and more. Rebuilding Corneas With Stem Cells Stem cell-based regenerative medicine arguably has shown the most promise for vision loss. A PR from Massachusetts Eye and Ear says: Doctors rebuild damaged corneas using patients’
Recommended regenerative medicine reads: COVID-19 updates, Cornea Fix, Pubs Read More »
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is counterintuitive In the weeks and months following a transplant, a major concern is the recipient’s immune system rejecting the “foreign” biological material. But in GVHD, the opposite happens: transplanted tissue unleashes a horde of T cells that spark a cascade of inflammation, within 100 days. Typically, GVHD follows a bone marrow
Mesoblast MSCs Quell Peds GvHD; On Road to FDA Approval? Read More »
What are you reading these days and does it include topics like cell therapies for COVID-19, ALS, regenerative potential of fibroblasts, and why Zoom meetings are so tiring for the brain? I cover those topics and more below with recommended reads including papers and media items. Here’s last week’s recommended reads. Here’s to fibroblasts, which
Weekend recommended reads: Athersys, ALS, COVID-19, Fibroblasts, Zoom brain Read More »
I’m doing an experiment today to see if people enjoy a mid-week splash of a few Wednesday recommended science reads and the first one collides with art. You can see Sunday’s recommended weekly reads here too. Also, be sure to visit our Facebook page if you have a moment and please like our page if
Mid-week rec reads: plague paleogenomics, bats, art, get new skin, & more Read More »
Here are our weekly recommended regenerative medicine and other notable science reads including a few things on COVID. It’s been quite an interesting week. “Junk DNA” is not so junky, role in differentiation NIH scientists showed how ancient retroviral genes, or “junk DNA”, may play a role in helping stem cells decide to become neurons. This
Weekly reads: ‘junk DNA’, COVID chaos, CRISPR CasΦ, & postdoc opps, more Read More »