Harvard, hope and hype: the sad reason behind overselling diabetes stem cell work - raising money

Earlier in the week I got all fired up - not in a good way - about a press release and news stories relating to a new paper from Doug Melton on a insulin producing STEM cell study

Exceptionally disappointed in Doug Melton of @HHMI for publishing new important diabetes paper as #closedaccess pic.twitter.com/DefoWwmiBR
— Jonathan Eisen (@phylogenomics) October 10, 2014

With a little more discussion I just got more angry

.@HHMINEWS and publishes the groundbreaking paper behind a paywall so online the elite can see it #closedaccess pic.twitter.com/ZPriyCdHvY
— Jonathan Eisen (@phylogenomics) October 10, 2014

.@David_Dobbs @Stephen_Curry @rpg7twit massive hype yet paywall is a big f#*$ you to those who care about diabetics pic.twitter.com/MErZi5pzL7
— Jonathan Eisen (@phylogenomics) October 11, 2014

@cryptogenomicon @phylogenomics @Stephen_Curry @David_Dobbs @rpg7twit the paper is available at http://t.co/Rt2el9b9W5
— HHMI NEWS (@HHMINEWS) October 11, 2014

I was angry both about the overselling of the implications of the paper and the fact that the paper was not published in an open manner. This was despite the stated goals of HHMI which funds some of the Melton Lab work.

.@Stephen_Curry @David_Dobbs @rpg7twit only 1/5 pubs on Melton HHMI page http://t.co/L1p2BEKrQ6 is free #closedaccess pic.twitter.com/KQDY5ZLjuA
— Jonathan Eisen (@phylogenomics) October 11, 2014