{"id":1682,"date":"2021-02-16T09:28:01","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T17:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/?p=1682"},"modified":"2021-02-16T09:28:01","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T17:28:01","slug":"authoritative-stem-cell-information-mmmhmm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/?p=1682","title":{"rendered":"“Authoritative Stem Cell Information,” MmmHmm."},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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New post on The Stem Cellar<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

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Tipping our hat to the good guys (&\u00a0gals)<\/a><\/h2>\n

by Kevin McCormack<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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A search on Google using the term \u201cstem cell blogs\u201d quickly produces a host of sites offering treatments for everything from ankle, hip and knee problems, to Parkinson\u2019s disease and asthma. Amazingly the therapies for those very different conditions all use the same kind of cells produced in the same way. It\u2019s like magic. Sadly, it\u2019s magic that is less hocus pocus and more bogus bogus.<\/p>\n

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The good news is there are blogs out there (besides us, of course) that do offer good, accurate, reliable information about stem cells. The people behind them are not in this to make a quick buck selling snake oil. They are in this to educate, inform, engage and enlighten people about what stem cells can, and cannot do.<\/p>\n

So, here\u2019s some of our favorites.<\/p>\n

The Niche<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This blog has just undergone a face lift and is now as colorful and easy to read as it is informative. It bills itself as the longest running stem cell blog around. It\u2019s run by UC Davis stem cell biologist Dr. Paul Knoepfler \u2013 full disclosure, we have funded some of Paul\u2019s work \u2013 and it\u2019s a constant source of amazement to me how Paul manages to run a busy research lab and post regular updates on his blog.<\/p>\n

The power of The Niche is that it\u2019s easy for non-science folk \u2013 like me \u2013 to read and understand without having to do a deep dive into Google search or Wikipedia. It\u2019s well written, informative and often very witty. If you are looking for a good website to check whether some news about stem cells is real or suspect, this is a great place to start.<\/p>\n

Stem Cell Battles<\/strong><\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

This site is run by another old friend of CIRM\u2019s, Don Reed. Don has written extensively about stem cell research in general, and CIRM in particular. His motivation to do this work is clear. Don says he\u2019s not a doctor or scientist, he\u2019s something much simpler:<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I am just a father fighting for his paralyzed son, and the only way to fix him is to advance cures for everyone. Also, my mother died of breast cancer, my sister from leukemia, and I myself am a prostate cancer survivor. So, I have some very personal reasons to support the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and to want state funding for stem cell and other regenerative medicine research to continue in California!\u201d<\/p>\n

The power of Don\u2019s writing is that he always tells human stories, real tales about real people. He makes everything he does accessible, memorable and often very funny. If I\u2019m looking for ways to explain something complex and translate it into everyday English, I\u2019ll often look at Don\u2019s work, he knows how to talk to people about the science without having their eyes cloud over.<\/p>\n

A Closer Look at Stem Cells<\/strong><\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

This is published by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the leading professional organization for stem cell scientists. You might expect a blog from such a science-focused organization to be heavy going for the ordinary person, but you\u2019d be wrong.<\/p>\n

A Closer Look at Stem Cells is specifically designed for people who want to learn more about stem cells but don\u2019t have the time to get a PhD. They have sections explaining what stem cells are<\/a>, what they can and can\u2019t do<\/a>, even a glossary<\/a> explaining different terms used in the field (I used to think the Islets of Langerhans were small islands off the coast of Germany till I went to this site).<\/p>\n

One of the best, and most important, parts of the site is the section on clinical trials<\/a>, helping people understand what\u2019s involved in these trials and the kinds of things you need to consider before signing up for one.<\/p>\n

Signals<\/strong><\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

Of course, the US doesn\u2019t have a monopoly on stem cell research and that\u2019s reflected in the next two choices. One is the Signals Blog from our friends to the north in Canada. This is an easy-to-read site that describes itself as the \u201cInsiders perspective on the world of stem cells and regenerative medicine.\u201d The \u2018Categories \u2018dropdown menu allows you to choose what you want to read, and it gives you lots of options from the latest news to a special section for patients, even a section on ethical and legal issues.<\/p>\n

EuroStemCell<\/strong><\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

As you may have guessed from the title this is by our chums across the pond in Europe. They lay out their mission on page one saying they want to help people make sense of stem cells:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a network of scientists and academics, we provide independent, expert-reviewed information and road-tested educational resources on stem cells and their impact on society. We also work with people affected by conditions, educators, regulators, media, healthcare professionals and policymakers to foster engagement and develop material that meets their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

True to their word they have great information on the latest research, broken down by different types of disease, different types of stem cell etc. And like CIRM they also have some great educational resources for teachers to use in the classroom.<\/p>\n

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Kevin McCormack<\/a><\/strong> | February 16, 2021 at 10:12 am | Tags: A Closer Look at Stem Cells<\/a>, Blogs<\/a>, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine<\/a>, Don Reed<\/a>, Eurostemcell<\/a>, Feedspot<\/a>, ISSCR<\/a>, Paul Knoepfler<\/a>, Signals blog<\/a>, Snake oil salesman<\/a>, Stem Cell Battles<\/a>, The Niche<\/a> | Categories: Basic Research<\/a>, bioengineering<\/a>, Biotechnology<\/a>, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine<\/a>, Education<\/a>, Ethics and Policy<\/a>, Paul Knoepfler<\/a>, Predatory stem cell clinics<\/a>, Research News<\/a>, Stem cell research<\/a>, Stem cell tourism<\/a>, Stem cells<\/a>, UC Davis<\/a> | URL: https:\/\/wp.me\/p4BBpx-4L9<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New post on The Stem Cellar Tipping our hat to the good guys (&\u00a0gals) by Kevin McCormack A search on Google using the term \u201cstem cell blogs\u201d quickly produces a host of sites offering treatments for everything from ankle, hip … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1682"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1683,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1682\/revisions\/1683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}