The development of the atomic bomb during World War II brought unprecedented devastation to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, this tragedy also stimulated a wave of biomedical research aimed at both understanding the effects of radiation and developing treatments for radiation exposure. This research ultimately led to the development of the bone marrow transplant, which has saved countless lives and is the … Continue reading Hope Amidst Tragedy: Stem Cell Therapies and the Atomic Bomb

Figure 1.  Although there have not yet been any clinical trials to prove that stem cell treatments are effective – and to demonstrate that they are safe – there are many companies offering treatments for a wide array of diseases and conditions.  Unlike clinical trials, which typically do not cost the patient money beyond their normal health costs, these therapies can be highly expensive.  A … Continue reading Never an Easy Answer: The Ethics of Stem Cells

Stem cells have been the object of much excitement and controversy amongst both scientists and the general population. Surprisingly, though, not everybody understands the basic properties of stem cells, let alone the fact that there is more than one type of cell that falls within the “stem cell” category. Here, I’ll lay out the basic concepts of stem cell biology as a background for understanding … Continue reading Stem cells: a brief history and outlook

Biologists have long touted the promise of embryonic stem (ES) cells.  These cells are pluripotent, meaning they can be coaxed to form nearly any cell type of the body.  However, the enormous promise of these cells is overshadowed by moral and technical difficulties.  Human ES cells are derived from very early stage embryos which otherwise have the potential to develop into a fully-grown human being, … Continue reading Do-it-yourself stem cells: the story of induced pluripotency

In the year 2013, there has been a plethora of advances made in the use of stem cells to regenerate organs, which offer promises in the treatment of human diseases. Among them is the identification of a population of stem cells in zebrafish that can regenerate damaged cone cells of the retina [1, 2]. Cone cells are visual receptor cells that are responsible for high … Continue reading Stem Cell Therapies Expand Horizon of Regenerative Medicine