Nobel Laureate Shinya Yamanaka, the first to produce induced pluripotent stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells or IPS cells just might be the most exciting development in the stem cell field over the last 15 years. They have unique potential for clinical impact for regenerative medicine too, both through their …
Read More »Recommended reads: Single-cell work, COVID twin study, more
Sometimes it seems like a theme spontaneously emerges in pubs that I want to read for a given week like the set of single-cell analysis papers but there are diverse, other items including a striking day-night brain stem cell cycle paper and an interesting piece on identical twins who got …
Read More »Reconsidering the Recognition of Professional Qualifications post-Brexit
In two previous blog posts (one here on this blog and an earlier one on EU Law Analysis) I pre-emptively commented on the possible legal construction of professional qualification recognition post-Brexit. Now that the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement has been published, it is appropriate to describe and critically reflect …
Read More »Antibodies 101: Introduction to Antibodies
You may have heard the term antibody tossed around in the news or in the lab. But what exactly is an antibody, and how is a component of the immune system useful as a research reagent? Let’s find out! What is an antibody? Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins, are ~150 …
Read More »Arms Control Treaties, Nuclear Weapons, and Military Expenditure 1945-2020 – CSS Blog Network
This graphic depicts the stockpiles of nuclear weapons, arms control treaties and military expenditure in the United States of America and Russia between 1945 and 2020. For a deeper look into arms control in Russia, the Russian government’s policy options in nuclear arms control & the differing conceptions of strategic …
Read More »2020 The Screamers Science Hype Award goes to Stephen Hahn
Today’s post announces the winner of the 2020 The Screamers Science Hype Award. Since this is the inaugural year for The Screamers, I’m just going to give out one main award: Overall Worst Science Hype. Science Hype Award to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn Remarkably, the winner of the overall The …
Read More »Fact-checking, pros and cons of cord blood banking
When my wife and I were expecting our first daughter way back in the nineties, we received a paper pamphlet about cord blood banking. Back then, I was a graduate student at UC San Diego School of Medicine working toward my Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology and my wife was in …
Read More »The Biden Administration’s Impulse to US-EU Cooperation on Libya – CSS Blog Network
Image courtesy of Tech. Sgt. Brigitte Brantley/DVIDS. The US has maintained a relatively passive approach to Libya under President Donald Trump, whose administration largely left the Libyan dossier to Egypt, several Arab Gulf states, Turkey, Europeans, and Russia. In 2021, however, America’s new leadership will probably try to assert US …
Read More »Recommended reads: CRISPR for Sickle Cell, Parkinson’s, & more
I’m playing catch-up on some reading given how busy I’ve been and this includes a groundbreaking NEJM pub on CRISPR for Sickle Cell and Thalassemia. Victoria Gray and her kids. She was the first trial participant to receive an experimental CRISPR intervention for sickle cell disease and is doing great …
Read More »What is a teratoma? Research & treatment
Sometimes on The Niche or while teaching students as a professor here at UC Davis School of Medicine, I’ve been asked: What is a teratoma? Not all tumors are created equal and some like teratomas are particularly unusual. Human stem cell derived teratoma. Knoepfler lab research image. Glands are evident …
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