Organoid based clinical trials are still rare and a Clinicaltrials.gov search for such organoid work largely brings up in vitro studies. A new clinical study in Japan where organoid material will actually be transplanted into patients is causing a lot of excitement. Organoid clinical trial Masayo Takahashi (高橋 政代) is a pioneer in stem cell-based […]
Groundbreaking Organoid Vision Clinical Study: Takahashi Q&A Read More »
A few times a month I do a recommended reads kind of post on more than just stem cells, which people seem to appreciate as a condensed list of new science and medicine. Scientists might ask each other, “what’s in your to-read list?” rather than “what’s in your wallet?” Here are some of the things
Recommended reads: autism, cancer, & nucleosomes Read More »
Three new studies reported in preprints all show severe DNA damage to human embryos from CRISPR a surprisingly high percentage of the time including in some cases loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Anywhere from about a quarter to half of CRISPR’d embryos exhibited major genome damage. As readers of The Niche know, I never was a
CRISPR often damages human embryo chromosomes Read More »
Organoids are providing a novel avenue into the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and novel models for drug screening. A number of new preprints on respiratory organoids shed new light in this area. They were highlighted in a Nature newsy piece, Mini organs reveal how the coronavirus ravages the body. It’s a challenge to study COVID-19 infections because just infecting
Weekly reads: organoids, COVID-19, CIRM & cool new pubs Read More »
It was fascinating to read a new JAMA piece by the FDA on unproven stem cell clinics and other regenerative medicine firms. Many of these guys are profiteering off of buzz about exciting, but mostly unproven technologies. While the JAMA opinion piece reiterates the agency’s commitment to evidence-based regenerative medicine, it also makes some other
Striking FDA Hahn & Marks JAMA pub on regenerative clinics Read More »
What is platelet-rich plasma or PRP injection cost and is it worth trying? The goal of today’s post is to fact-check PRP based on the scientific literature and educate readers including on PRP cost. What is in this article PRP is getting more popular | Is it worth it? | What exactly is PRP?
What is PRP injection cost, risks, & possible benefits Read More »
Meet The Screamers. After being a scientist in one form or another for 30 years and blogging about stem cells and other science for more than 10 years, I’ve seen a lot of science hype. However, some science hype goes above and beyond the usual level to outright smack readers in the face. It almost
Meet The Screamers Science Hype Awards Read More »
A solid new, blinded placebo-controlled Phase II study from the Duke Autism Center clearly shows no benefit of cord blood for autism. Surprisingly, the team has said they are encouraged by the results. As a result, they apparently will continue this kind of work anyway despite their data. In contrast, I see the data as a
Duke Autism Center trial: no benefit of cord blood for autism Read More »
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) has been around for a long time, but patients are often confused by it. In part the confusion arises from how it is marketed, which sometimes includes it being described as “stem cells”, which it is not. However, at times it can be as a therapy with stem cells or other
Dr. Drew Lansdown Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Interview Read More »
How can we scientists find ways to keep doing our research during the COVID19 pandemic even if it has nothing to do with the coronavirus? Also, how should those of us involved in science communication talk about the outbreak? At a more basic level, how can scientists try not to go bonkers during this dark
Scientists try not to lose it with their labs shut by the pandemic Read More »