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Scrutinizing a Stem Cell Trial
Wired News has an interesting discussion of a clinical stem cell trial with the CEO of Geron, a California based stem cell company. The author takes time to discuss some of the process and hurdles that are faced by a company who wishes to engage in early clinical trials. From the article: "After an hour of speaking to Okarma, fears of a half-baked trial dissipated. He readily answered my many questions. If he didn't have the animal data to answer a query, he didn't try to dance around that fact. Okarma outlined a structured but malleable trial. I initially had reservations about safety, but Okarma emphasized that if the animal data is not good, the study will not move forward until problems are addressed."
In related news, stem cell transplants can repair injured spinal cords in rats!
Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
Actually, I'm a postdoctoral biologist. I'm not easily impressed. I think the concept of being able to introduce stem cells into human, and them not turn cancerous, really would be a marvelous achievement. Remember, stem cells are undifferentiated, a lot like tumor cells become. If the stem cells simply incorporate themselves into the tissue without any harm to the patient, I think that would be a huge accomplishment. It would verify the validity of the approach, and serve as a stepping stone for further research.