It’s the time of year when media either look forward, with predictions, or backwards to highlight what resonated with readers. (In 2016, I provided a list of my top five favourite posts, not yours, in case you’d like to check it out.)
Since you are a quiet bunch in terms of leaving comments, this list of top blogs is a reflection of what you were reading, but also sharing and liking on social media (as identified by a ❤️). If you’ve read all the posts below, then thank you for being such a diligent follower. If any of these titles look new, please have a read.
As always, I’m eager to hear your thoughts on what we publish, but if you’re shy then just keep reading/sharing/liking! That’s more important anyway. If you’d like to read a list of best blogs the last time we did this, then my former co-editor Lisa Willemse, from back-in-the-day, has “the 9 best of 2013.”
I wish you all a very Happy New Year!
- Insider tips for becoming a PI– ❤️As the headline suggests, Samantha Yammine offers lots of tips for PhDs hoping to transition to Principal Investigators. I guess this is an indication of who reads Signals. Or perhaps PIs were curious to see if Samantha, a PhD candidate herself, got it right? She also provides additional resources if the interview tips, application advice and other gems haven’t satisfied your desire for information.
- Human brain implants thrive inside mouse skulls and raise ethical questions– Jovana Drinjakovic, another popular blogger, reports on two teams of researchers who were successful in transplanting primordial human brain tissue into mouse brains. John Steinbeck may have been onto something when he wrote Of Mice and Men.
- Explaining the hype: CAR T-cells– Our resident cancer expert, Sara Nolte, gives a complete run-down on CAR T-cells and why she finds them so exciting. Hint: 2017 FDA approvals have a lot to do with it.
- Single-cell RNA sequencing: An emerging superpower in stem cell research– ❤️A new blogger, Lyla El-Fayomi hits a home run with her blog about single-cell RNA sequencing. See why so many people read it.
- Blog Carnival: We’re answering this year’s question with a firm “maybe!”– ❤️Although this is one of mine, one reason for its popularity is that it was the gateway to all the blogs in this year’s blog carnival. The topic we all blogged about was whether regenerative medicine has “come of age.” You’ll have to read the blogs to find out how many of us are “glass half full” or “glass half empty.”
- Evaluating stem cell therapies: “Small trials and difficult statistics”– Last Christmas, David Kent caught up on some overdue reading, which he highly recommends. He read “Lancet Commission: Stem cells and regenerative medicine” and was compelled to share his thoughts on this one section: “small trials, difficult statistics, difficult regulation, and data reproducibility.” Have a read.
- The Hospital for Sick Children is in the crosshairs of Catholic school trustees– After learning from local media about a fundraising ban that affects groups like SickKids, I felt compelled to blog and dispel some myths.
- Warming up to better public relations for scientists– We all know stem cell hype is a serious issue that is helping to fuel the popularity of clinics marketing unapproved stem cell interventions. Samantha Yammine shares research and suggestions on how scientists can improve their game when it comes to science communications.
- Tackling the talent gap in the cell and gene therapy industry– ❤️This November post, by Drs. Michael May and Peter Zandstra of CCRM, has already attracted a lot of readers. (The older blogs are, the better they tend to rank because they’ve been on the site for longer.) And it’s no wonder considering the importance of their topic. Read what they propose to tackle this serious issue.
- A firm hand for the regenerative medicine industry– Industry executive Sven Kili kindly agreed to participate in this year’s blog carnival (see #5 above). Read his analogy of raising children to describe the growth of the regenerative medicine industry.
And just for fun, I’m tossing in a popular video from 2018 too. It’s from Jonathan Jarry at the McGill Office for Science and Society
Stacey Johnson
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