Why people seek out unproven and potentially unsafe stem cell treatments

Every day I field phone calls and emails from people looking for a stem cell therapy to help them cope with everything from arthritis to cancer. Often, they will mention that they saw an ad for a clinic online or in a local newspaper claiming they had stem cell therapies that could help fix anything … Continue reading Why people seek out unproven and potentially unsafe stem cell treatments

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

Call for a worldwide approach to regulating predatory stem cell clinics

You can’t fix a global problem at the local level. That’s the gist of a new perspective piece in the journal Stem Cell Reports that calls for a global approach to rogue stem cell clinics that offer bogus therapies. The authors of the article are calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to set up … Continue reading Call for a worldwide approach to regulating predatory stem cell clinics

Of Mice and Men, and Women Too; Stem cell stories you might have missed

Mice brains can teach us a lot Last week’s news headlines were dominated by one big story, the use of a stem cell transplant to effectively cure a person of HIV. But there were other stories that, while not quite as striking, did also highlight how the field is advancing. A new way to boost … Continue reading Of Mice and Men, and Women Too; Stem cell stories you might have missed

Stem cells and professional sports: a call for more science and less speculation

In the world of professional sports, teams invest tens of millions of dollars in players. Those players are under intense pressure to show a return on that investment for the team, and that means playing as hard as possible for as long as possible. So it’s no surprise that players facing serious injuries will often … Continue reading Stem cells and professional sports: a call for more science and less speculation