Science is hard. Explaining complex science to non-scientists is SUPER hard. But explaining science to non-native English speakers presents a whole new set of challenges. I would know. I’m a first-generation immigrant whose highly-educated parents arrived in their new home—the United States—a tad too late to become fluent in its native tongue. I’ve also … Continue reading Stem cells explained in different languages
Paul Knoepfler
Google eases ban on ads for stem cell therapies
What started out as an effort by Google to crack down on predatory stem cell clinics advertising bogus therapies seems to be getting diluted. Now the concern is whether that will make it easier for these clinics to lure unsuspecting patients to pay good money for bad treatments? A little background might help here. For … Continue reading Google eases ban on ads for stem cell therapies
It’s hard to be modest when people keep telling you how good you are
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST I have a confession. Deep down I’m shallow. So when something I am part of is acknowledged as one of the best, I delight in it (my fellow bloggers Katie and Esteban also delight in it, I am just more shameless about letting everyone know.) And … Continue reading It’s hard to be modest when people keep telling you how good you are
Making the list of people to follow
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST If you are walking down the street on a dark night, being followed is not necessarily something you want. But if you are online, having someone follow you is almost always a positive thing. And when that person is Dr. Paul Knoepfler it’s most definitely a … Continue reading Making the list of people to follow
Tipping our hat to the good guys (& gals)
A search on Google using the term “stem cell blogs” quickly produces a host of sites offering treatments for everything from ankle, hip and knee problems, to Parkinson’s disease and asthma. Amazingly the therapies for those very different conditions all use the same kind of cells produced in the same way. It’s like magic. Sadly, … Continue reading Tipping our hat to the good guys (& gals)
Media matters in spreading the word
Cover of New Yorker article on "The Birth Tissue Profiteers". Illustration by Ben Jones When you have a great story to tell the best and most effective way to get it out to the widest audience is still the media, both traditional mainstream and new social media. Recently we have seen three great examples of … Continue reading Media matters in spreading the word
CIRM public events highlight uncertain future of stem cell research
When governments cut funding for scientific research the consequences can be swift, and painful. In Canada last week for example, the government of Ontario cut $5 million in annual funding for stem cell research, effectively ending a project developing a therapy to heal the damaged lungs of premature babies. Here in the US the federal … Continue reading CIRM public events highlight uncertain future of stem cell research
Media shine a spotlight on dodgy stem cell clinics
A doctor collects fat from a patient's back as part of an experimental stem cell procedure in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Dec. 5, 2014. (Raquel Maria Dillon / Associated Press) For several years now, we have been trying to raise awareness about the risks posed by clinics offering unproven or unapproved stem cell therapies. At … Continue reading Media shine a spotlight on dodgy stem cell clinics
Stem Cell Roundup: Rainbow Sherbet Fruit Fly Brains, a CRISPR/iPSC Mash-up and more
This week’s Round Up is all about the brain with some CRISPR and iPSCs sprinkled in: Our Cool Stem Cell Image of the Week comes from Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute: This rainbow sherbet-colored scientific art is a microscopy image of a fruit fly nervous system in which brain cells were randomly labeled with different colors. … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Rainbow Sherbet Fruit Fly Brains, a CRISPR/iPSC Mash-up and more
Stem Cell Roundup: Gene therapy for diabetes, alcohol is bad for your stem cells and hairy skin
The start of a new year is the perfect opportunity to turn a new leaf. I myself have embraced 2018 with open arms and decided to join my fellow millennials who live and die by the acronym YOLO. How am I doing this? Well, so far, I got a new haircut, I started doing squats … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Gene therapy for diabetes, alcohol is bad for your stem cells and hairy skin
The Stem Cellar 