Paul Knoepfler
@stemcells.bsky.social
Professor at UC Davis studying cancer & stem cell epigenomics. I also do outreach and blog The Niche http://ipscell.com Also stem cell YouTube channel http://cutt.ly/vcsev4J STAT column https://www.statnews.com/category/lab-dish-paul-knoepfler/
Pinned
Paul Knoepfler
@stemcells.bsky.social
· Jun 11
Top UC Davis Graduate Aims To Transform Experience of Aging
Only on annual visits to India was Avantika Gokulnatha able to help care for her now late grandfather as his health failed. But the San Jose resident endeavored to help others near her.Gokulnatha did ...
www.ucdavis.edu
Congrats to my student Avantika Gokulnatha on receiving @ucdavis.bsky.social the UC Davis University Medal as the top graduating senior this year. Out of something like 8000+ seniors! She's done some great research on H3.3 mutant glioma www.ucdavis.edu/news/top-uc-... Very proud of her
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
Most iPSC lines come from European donors. Now, two teams in Africa are studying neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration using iPSCs and organoids from African donors.
By Lauren Schenkman
www.thetransmitter.org/cellular-neu...
By Lauren Schenkman
www.thetransmitter.org/cellular-neu...
Bringing African ancestry into cellular neuroscience
Two independent teams in Africa are developing stem cell lines and organoids from local populations to explore neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions.
www.thetransmitter.org
January 14, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Most iPSC lines come from European donors. Now, two teams in Africa are studying neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration using iPSCs and organoids from African donors.
By Lauren Schenkman
www.thetransmitter.org/cellular-neu...
By Lauren Schenkman
www.thetransmitter.org/cellular-neu...
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
AI hasn't made a drug yet, but industry leaders say that's about to change - San Francisco Business Times
#JPM26 share.google/r8f562ytj87A...
#JPM26 share.google/r8f562ytj87A...
AI hasn't made a drug yet, but industry leaders say that's about to change - San Francisco Business Times
Biotech's big JPM conference is underway in San Francisco, and AI is seizing the moment.
share.google
January 13, 2026 at 7:40 PM
AI hasn't made a drug yet, but industry leaders say that's about to change - San Francisco Business Times
#JPM26 share.google/r8f562ytj87A...
#JPM26 share.google/r8f562ytj87A...
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
A Minnesota state representative said two Richfield Target employees detained by U.S. Border Patrol on Jan. 8 were U.S. citizens and were both injured in the incident.
Target employees detained by federal officers were U.S. citizens, legislator says
Minnesota Rep. Michael Howard, who represents Richfield, said the employees also were injured in the incident.
bit.ly
January 13, 2026 at 12:47 AM
A Minnesota state representative said two Richfield Target employees detained by U.S. Border Patrol on Jan. 8 were U.S. citizens and were both injured in the incident.
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
Longevity movement = wellness woo 2.0.
Yes, real longevity science, but the consumer facing industry mostly science-y sounding BS.
Business of living longer wapo.st/4pvE4LT
Reality: Mostly healthy lifestyle & LUCK (genetic + socioeconomics).
Yes, real longevity science, but the consumer facing industry mostly science-y sounding BS.
Business of living longer wapo.st/4pvE4LT
Reality: Mostly healthy lifestyle & LUCK (genetic + socioeconomics).
These are the treatments dominating the business of living longer
Longevity medicine has exploded into the mainstream, but the fervor has outpaced rigorous scientific evidence and federal regulations.
wapo.st
January 12, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Longevity movement = wellness woo 2.0.
Yes, real longevity science, but the consumer facing industry mostly science-y sounding BS.
Business of living longer wapo.st/4pvE4LT
Reality: Mostly healthy lifestyle & LUCK (genetic + socioeconomics).
Yes, real longevity science, but the consumer facing industry mostly science-y sounding BS.
Business of living longer wapo.st/4pvE4LT
Reality: Mostly healthy lifestyle & LUCK (genetic + socioeconomics).
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
I had hoped to let this cup pass, but, after a week and a half, I found that I couldn’t. An eminent oncologist and cancer researcher is back and doubling down on the unproven claim that COVID vaccines cause cancer, now with added conspiracy theory. sciencebasedmedicine.org/and-so-2026-...
And so 2026 begins…with a resurrection of the myth that COVID vaccines cause “turbo cancers”
I had hoped to let this cup pass, but, after a week and a half, I found that I couldn't. Eminent oncologist and cancer researcher Dr. Wafik El-Deiry is back and doubling down on the unproven claim tha
sciencebasedmedicine.org
January 12, 2026 at 6:45 PM
I had hoped to let this cup pass, but, after a week and a half, I found that I couldn’t. An eminent oncologist and cancer researcher is back and doubling down on the unproven claim that COVID vaccines cause cancer, now with added conspiracy theory. sciencebasedmedicine.org/and-so-2026-...
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
Weekly #stemcell & regenerative reads: whoa, paper w/organoids ‘pregnant’ with human embryos, Neuralink wants to implant into healthy brains, biotech scorecard, iffy autism tests, more ipscell.com/2026/01/week... #stemcells
Weekly reads: organoids 'pregnant' with human embryos, Neuralink, biotech scorecard, iffy autism tests - The Niche
Biologist discusses recent research including getting organoids 'pregnant' with human embryos, Nucleus Genomics, & iffy autism tests.
ipscell.com
January 11, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Weekly #stemcell & regenerative reads: whoa, paper w/organoids ‘pregnant’ with human embryos, Neuralink wants to implant into healthy brains, biotech scorecard, iffy autism tests, more ipscell.com/2026/01/week... #stemcells
Weekly #stemcell & regenerative reads: whoa, paper w/organoids ‘pregnant’ with human embryos, Neuralink wants to implant into healthy brains, biotech scorecard, iffy autism tests, more ipscell.com/2026/01/week... #stemcells
Weekly reads: organoids 'pregnant' with human embryos, Neuralink, biotech scorecard, iffy autism tests - The Niche
Biologist discusses recent research including getting organoids 'pregnant' with human embryos, Nucleus Genomics, & iffy autism tests.
ipscell.com
January 11, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Weekly #stemcell & regenerative reads: whoa, paper w/organoids ‘pregnant’ with human embryos, Neuralink wants to implant into healthy brains, biotech scorecard, iffy autism tests, more ipscell.com/2026/01/week... #stemcells
ICYMI: GOP lawmakers ask RFK Jr. to make FDA unleash risky peptides like BPC-157 ipscell.com/2025/12/gop-... Stand to profit from rule change via enforcement discretion. Look for changes this year.
GOP lawmakers ask RFK Jr. to make FDA unleash risky peptides like BPC-157 - The Niche
Stem cell biologist discusses how a GOP representative and pharmacist asked for RFK Jr. to make the FDA ease up on peptides like BPC-157.
ipscell.com
January 10, 2026 at 11:02 PM
ICYMI: GOP lawmakers ask RFK Jr. to make FDA unleash risky peptides like BPC-157 ipscell.com/2025/12/gop-... Stand to profit from rule change via enforcement discretion. Look for changes this year.
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
Jonathan Ross worked for Border Patrol before ICE
January 10, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Jonathan Ross worked for Border Patrol before ICE
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
ICYMI: 2026 #stemcell & regenerative predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., Prasad Paradox, biotechs, state AGs, sketchy peptides, embryos & models #stemcells ipscell.com/2026/01/2026...
2026 predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., biotechs, state AGs, peptides, embryos - The Niche
Biologist outlines his stem cell and regenerative medicine predictions for the coming year of 2026 including background.
ipscell.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:13 PM
ICYMI: 2026 #stemcell & regenerative predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., Prasad Paradox, biotechs, state AGs, sketchy peptides, embryos & models #stemcells ipscell.com/2026/01/2026...
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left We tried to be optimistic about the Trump administration. But we could not continue www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n... Strong piece from 4 former NIH program leaders
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left
“We can no longer lend our credibility to an organization that has lost its integrity,” write four scientists and administrators who recently resigned from the NIH.
www.statnews.com
January 10, 2026 at 5:54 PM
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left We tried to be optimistic about the Trump administration. But we could not continue www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n... Strong piece from 4 former NIH program leaders
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
AOC: “I understand that VP Vance believes shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, & I do not — That is a fundamental difference between VP Vance & I — I do not believe the American people should be assassinated in the street”
January 9, 2026 at 6:30 PM
AOC: “I understand that VP Vance believes shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, & I do not — That is a fundamental difference between VP Vance & I — I do not believe the American people should be assassinated in the street”
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
Looks like ICE is now cracking down on … Native Americans.
This letter was just posted by the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North/South Dakota:
“Our Nation is a sovereign government and our members are not immigrants. We are not subject to immigration enforcement on our own lands.”
This letter was just posted by the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North/South Dakota:
“Our Nation is a sovereign government and our members are not immigrants. We are not subject to immigration enforcement on our own lands.”
January 10, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Looks like ICE is now cracking down on … Native Americans.
This letter was just posted by the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North/South Dakota:
“Our Nation is a sovereign government and our members are not immigrants. We are not subject to immigration enforcement on our own lands.”
This letter was just posted by the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North/South Dakota:
“Our Nation is a sovereign government and our members are not immigrants. We are not subject to immigration enforcement on our own lands.”
ICYMI: 2026 #stemcell & regenerative predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., Prasad Paradox, biotechs, state AGs, sketchy peptides, embryos & models #stemcells ipscell.com/2026/01/2026...
2026 predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., biotechs, state AGs, peptides, embryos - The Niche
Biologist outlines his stem cell and regenerative medicine predictions for the coming year of 2026 including background.
ipscell.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:13 PM
ICYMI: 2026 #stemcell & regenerative predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., Prasad Paradox, biotechs, state AGs, sketchy peptides, embryos & models #stemcells ipscell.com/2026/01/2026...
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
[Germany’s dying forests are losing their ability to absorb CO2. Can new way of planting save them?]
“Vast swathes of country’s trees killed off by droughts infestations, in trend across Europe. A shift towards more biodiverse cultivation could offer answers“
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
“Vast swathes of country’s trees killed off by droughts infestations, in trend across Europe. A shift towards more biodiverse cultivation could offer answers“
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Germany’s dying forests are losing their ability to absorb CO2. Can a new way of planting save them?
Vast swathes of the country’s trees have been killed off by droughts and infestations, in a trend sweeping across Europe. A shift towards more biodiverse cultivation could offer answers
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:32 AM
[Germany’s dying forests are losing their ability to absorb CO2. Can new way of planting save them?]
“Vast swathes of country’s trees killed off by droughts infestations, in trend across Europe. A shift towards more biodiverse cultivation could offer answers“
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
“Vast swathes of country’s trees killed off by droughts infestations, in trend across Europe. A shift towards more biodiverse cultivation could offer answers“
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
"The woman shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 7, was identified by her mother as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Good died just a few blocks from where she lived." www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...
‘She was an amazing human being’: Mother identifies woman shot, killed by ICE agent
Renee Nicole Good, 37, lived in Minneapolis with her partner just blocks from where she was shot.
www.startribune.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:46 AM
"The woman shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 7, was identified by her mother as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Good died just a few blocks from where she lived." www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
2026 regenerative medicine predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., biotechs, state AGs, peptides, embryos ipscell.com/2026/01/2026... #stemcells #stemcell #CRISPR I predict a historic year of change, but one filled with contradictions, big ups & downs.
2026 predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., biotechs, state AGs, peptides, embryos - The Niche
Biologist outlines his stem cell and regenerative medicine predictions for the coming year of 2026 including background.
ipscell.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:07 PM
2026 regenerative medicine predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., biotechs, state AGs, peptides, embryos ipscell.com/2026/01/2026... #stemcells #stemcell #CRISPR I predict a historic year of change, but one filled with contradictions, big ups & downs.
2026 regenerative medicine predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., biotechs, state AGs, peptides, embryos ipscell.com/2026/01/2026... #stemcells #stemcell #CRISPR I predict a historic year of change, but one filled with contradictions, big ups & downs.
2026 predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., biotechs, state AGs, peptides, embryos - The Niche
Biologist outlines his stem cell and regenerative medicine predictions for the coming year of 2026 including background.
ipscell.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:07 PM
2026 regenerative medicine predictions: historic FDA shift, plausible mechanisms, bespoke tx, RFK Jr., biotechs, state AGs, peptides, embryos ipscell.com/2026/01/2026... #stemcells #stemcell #CRISPR I predict a historic year of change, but one filled with contradictions, big ups & downs.
ICYMI over the holidays: Colossal Biosciences wins 2025 The Screamers Science Hype Award on dire wolf de-extinction claim ipscell.com/2025/12/colo... #stemcells #genetics #cloning
Colossal Biosciences wins 2025 The Screamers Award for science hype on dire wolf de-extinction claim - The Niche
Biologist awards Colossal Biosciences as the winner of the 2025 The Screamers science hype award for their dire wolf de-extinction claims.
ipscell.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:08 AM
ICYMI over the holidays: Colossal Biosciences wins 2025 The Screamers Science Hype Award on dire wolf de-extinction claim ipscell.com/2025/12/colo... #stemcells #genetics #cloning
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
for background see also link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Scientists targeted by dark PR tactics - EMBO Reports
EMBO Reports - Several articles questioning the expertise, intentions and professional integrity of several researchers along with weaponized copyright infringement claims is the latest example of...
link.springer.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:29 AM
for background see also link.springer.com/article/10.1...
ICYMI: Grading my 25 stem cell & regenerative medicine predictions for 2025 including gene therapy, peptides, RFK, etc. ipscell.com/2026/01/grad... Coming this week: 2026 predictions #stemcells #genetics #scicomm
Grading my 25 stem cell & regenerative medicine predictions for 2025 - The Niche
Stem cell biologist discusses how his regenerative medicine predictions for 2025 turned out and what was surprising.
ipscell.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:46 PM
ICYMI: Grading my 25 stem cell & regenerative medicine predictions for 2025 including gene therapy, peptides, RFK, etc. ipscell.com/2026/01/grad... Coming this week: 2026 predictions #stemcells #genetics #scicomm
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
Weekly #stemcell & regenerative reads: the stem cell niche & tripotent tongue stem cells, autoimmune diseases, RNA sequestration & cell fate ipscell.com/2026/01/week... #stemcells
Weekly reads: the stem cell niche, tongue stem cells, autoimmune diseases - The Niche
Biologist discusses the week's stem cell news including new papers on the stem cell niche and autoimmune diseases.
ipscell.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Weekly #stemcell & regenerative reads: the stem cell niche & tripotent tongue stem cells, autoimmune diseases, RNA sequestration & cell fate ipscell.com/2026/01/week... #stemcells
Reposted by Paul Knoepfler
But it’s not a cult
January 4, 2026 at 5:24 PM
But it’s not a cult
The Borg said resistance is futile too....
Dr. John Ioannidis: To Protect Science and Keep it Apolitical, We Must Not Resist MAHA. | Science-Based Medicine
Dr. John Ioannidis: To Protect Science and Keep it Apolitical, We Must Not Resist MAHA.
Posing as an wise, elder statesman, a neutral guardian of science, Dr. Ioannidis managed to pontificate mightily on COVID from a safe distance without ever being forced to acknowledge the tragic reali
sciencebasedmedicine.org
January 4, 2026 at 6:28 PM
The Borg said resistance is futile too....