What is CRISPR? A Primer
CRISPR is known as a cutting-edge tool for gene editing. Would you be surprised to learn that that CRISPR originally evolved within single-celled organisms such as bacteria, as their own immune response to viruses? When viruses attack a bacterial cell, they inject their genome—their own viral DNA—into the cell. The bacterial cell, in turn, responds […]
First Commercial Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Plant Opens in Japan
The first commercial facility to produce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) opened on March 22, 2018. The $340 million, 30,000 square foot facility was built by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma and is designed to produce stem cells for therapeutic applications.1 Sumitomo Dainippon is currently involved in using iPSCs to create treatments for conditions including macular degeneration, […]
Understanding Stem Cells Part 2: Ready for the Clinic?
With advances in research and technology, using stem cells for their regenerative potential has become a reality. But many stem cell treatments on the market have been marketed to the public and applied clinically without scientific evidence of efficacy. Worse, some treatments with stem cells have caused serious adverse events. Provided that cell and tissue […]
Understanding Stem Cells, Part 1: Stem Cells 101
Stem cells are a promising regenerative medicine tool and treatment. So much information on stem cell research exists that sorting through the facts and the hype can be daunting. This post will focus on explaining stem cell basics: What are stem cells, and what are the different types? Here, we will focus on adult stem […]
3D Printed Tissues From Bench to Bedside
3D bioprinting has the potential to provide significant medical advances. For example, 3D printing of functional tissues and organs could someday alleviate shortages in organ availability and the problem of organ incompatibility. But where does the field stand today? A look at the research benches of top labs can give us an idea. In this post […]
3D Printing in Tissue Engineering
Three-dimensional (3D) printing was developed in the early 1990s at MIT by by Sachs, Haggerty, Cima, and Williams.1 It is a freeform fabrication method that uses regular inkjet printheads to fabricate objects by printing binders onto loose powders in a powder bed.2 What can be made in 3D printing depends on what is used as […]