Right Turn: Stem cells for conservation

by Peter Raaymakers | Dec 5, 2014

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, nearly 12,000 animal species are threatened with extinction today. There are many reasons for the precarious state of these species, and nearly as many plans to attempt...

Beta cell transplant, hype or hope?

by Mark Curtis | Dec 4, 2014

. The Edmonton Protocol for the transplantation of insulin producing cells into individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) has a cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) of ~$165,000. This is more than three times the willingness-to-pay (WTP) in Canada, and comfortably...

TED-Ed: An attempt at translating sciences to society

by Guest | Dec 1, 2014

By Sarthak Sinha In the two weeks following their release, over 250,000 individuals worldwide have watched and shared these two TED-Ed lessons (see below); a project we worked on for three months. As a reflection on this work, I wanted to share where it all started,...

Right Turn: Bands and bandages

by Stacey Johnson | Nov 28, 2014

. If you’ve never heard of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), you’re not alone. This rare genetic disease, which occurs in one of 20,000 births, creates fragile skin that tears at the slightest touch and results in blisters, sores and scar tissue. There is no cure. EB...

Update from the Clinic: October

by Mark Curtis | Nov 27, 2014

. Welcome to your Update from the Clinic for the month of October. Northwest Biotherapeutics continues to receive support for its cancer vaccine platform in Europe. Neuralstem and StemCells provided updates on their respective clinical programs for spinal cord injury....

Calling attention to collagen, the lesser known “triple” helix

by Holly Wobma | Nov 24, 2014

> For anyone who follows crime dramas, you’ve probably come across the token episode where the resident computer genius pulls up a double helix to unravel some genetic clue about an elusive villain. Of course, most people know that the information in DNA requires...

Right Turn: Out of the bubble with gene-edited stem cells

by Lisa Willemse | Nov 21, 2014

> This is a rather exciting time to be in the stem cell and regenerative medicine field and one of the main reasons for this is the number of announcements and articles about clinical trials taking place. Seven years ago, when I joined the Stem Cell Network, these...

Lessons from Dendreon

by Mark Curtis | Nov 20, 2014

. You have all by now heard that Dendreon has filed for bankruptcy protection. If you’re a regular reader of Signals, you may have first heard the news here. While the company has successfully reached agreements on a financial restructuring with a majority of its...

If cell therapy isn’t about the cells or the therapy, what is it about?

by David Brindley | Nov 19, 2014

. With contributions from James Smith, a recent Oxford University graduate and current CASMI Translational Stem Cell Consortium Research Associate.   Both the IBC Cell Therapy Bioprocessing (ICTB) conference and the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Congress...

Right Turn: “Changing the face of men’s health” (one moustache at a time)

by Stacey Johnson | Nov 14, 2014

. The month of November can mean different things to different people. For example, Canadians recognize Remembrance Day on November 11, Americans have Veterans Day and my Polish friends celebrate National Independence Day. There’s American Thanksgiving immediately...