Do we own our cells? Do we have some intrinsic right to them once they are outside our bodies? One of the arguments I hear most often from physicians at stem cell clinics and some clinic patients is that patients have an inherent right to ownership and almost unlimited use of their own stem cells, but over the years my own reading on this issue has suggested that actually their assumptions are not necessarily the actual reality. At that link above you can read about some pretty …Read More
Mary Ann Chirba
On Thursday here at UC Davis School of Medicine we held our second annual Stem Cell Ethics Symposium. The symposium was organized by Drs. Mark Yarborough and Nanette Joyce as well as me. In this post I report on key take homes from the meeting and summarize the specific talks. As far as I know, this is one of the few events in the world where there is such a wide diversity of stakeholders present both as speakers and in the audience to specifically discuss stem cell ethics for a full …Read More
We here at UC Davis School of Medicine are gearing up for our 2nd annual Stem Cell Ethics Symposium (see flyer). As one of the organizers, I’m really excited about our lineup of speakers including Timothy Caulfield, Leigh Turner, Alison Sorkin, Mary Ann Chirba, and Richard Garr as well as others. We will be focusing on “Right To Try” laws, FDA regulations, and stem cell tourism. It should be a cutting edge, spirited meeting and discussion. All are welcome. Please RSVP to Julie Bechtel …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 the US v. Regenerative Sciences Inc. (RSI) case providing helpful and insightful perspectives on the history of the case and their prediction as to the likely outcome on appeal. …Read More