Archive for the ‘Patient information’ Category
To the stars and beyond: Assessing the impact of the $100 Genome
We live in a time of extraordinary medical advances. So far in 2013, we’ve seen the successful transplantation of a bioengineered kidney into rats, an infant reportedly cured of HIV using anti-retroviral drugs that are currently on the market, and discovered a protein that has the potential to ‘reverse aging’ in the heart. These ‘small…Read more
Male infertility: Stem cells to the rescue?
Last month, I blogged about recent stem cell advances toward a solution for female infertility. While this post may have left you excited about the potential for stem cells to help women with fertility complications start a family, it may also have left you wondering: “What about the other half?” After all, male infertility accounts…Read more
Keeping pace with stem cell technology
On the same day that I learned the (disturbing and sad) news that a friend, a woman in her early 40s, has a pacemaker, I read that a stem cell scientist in cardiovascular medicine, at the University of California, has received a grant to develop stem cells that “could serve as a biological alternative to…Read more
Will stem cells eventually outperform pharmaceuticals or will they come to Big Pharma’s rescue?
You don’t have to follow pharmaceutical industry news to know that this summer has been a disappointing one for Alzheimer’s research. Many major media outlets covered the failure of potential Alzheimer’s drug bapineuzumab (Pfizer/Johnson & Johnson) in Phase II/III clinical trials, announced earlier this summer. Another disappointment came late last month with the report of…Read more
Shades of grey matter: using iPSC to unravel the mysteries of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Chances are you know someone with autism spectrum disorder, or have, at the very least, been exposed to it in the media. Films like I am Sam, Rain Main, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and well-publicized stories such as that of Hollywood starlet Jenny McCarthy and her fight for her autistic son all show different sides…Read more
A shot in the arm for diabetes research
With contributions from Michael Rudnicki. If you’re following recent announcements in the field, then you may know about the study published this week in Diabetes that details the use of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to reverse diabetes type 1 in a mouse model. The research team, led by Tim Kieffer at the University of British…Read more
Stem cell pseudoscience in the courts?
Patients contemplating medical travel for the purpose of receiving scientifically unproven stem cell treatments may wish to consider one more potential side effect: the possibility of losing their eligibility for health status-related compensation and benefits. In May 2012, a United States appeal court affirmed an earlier New York district court decision to deny disability and…Read more