DNA tests for cancer promised
A personalised blood test that could track how a tumour responds to treatment and whether cancer is recurring has been developed by researchers in the U.S...
Rose Palmer was previously a Volunteer Writer at BioNews. She studied Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge, where her dissertation concerned moral reasoning regarding sex selection of embryos, and she went on to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from City University London. She has a particular interest in stem cells, genetics and the ethics of new reproductive technologies.
by Rose Palmer
A personalised blood test that could track how a tumour responds to treatment and whether cancer is recurring has been developed by researchers in the U.S...
by Rose Palmer
Scientists from the University of California in San Francisco have identified the mechanism by which sperm start swimming towards the egg when they enter the female reproductive system. The discovery could lead to drugs that boost male fertility and new forms of contraceptives...
by Rose Palmer
The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has set a 20 per cent maximum multiple birth rate for fertility clinics. Last year's maximum rate - the first since the HFEA's multiple births policy was introduced - was 24 percent. The new rate will become effective from 6 April 2010....
by Rose Palmer
Scientists have found that the Y chromosome is evolving more quickly than any other part of the human genetic code. In the first comparison of human and chimpanzee Y chromosomes, a team from the Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts, US, found that the two differ dramatically in structure and gene content. The finding was published in the journal Nature....
by Rose Palmer
A landmark study is to sequence the entire genome of 3000 people to uncover the genetic roots of Type 2 diabetes, the Times newspaper has reported. The investigation, costing £15 million, is being carried out by an Anglo-American team. It is hoped that the results will help find improved ways to diagnose and treat the condition....
by Rose Palmer
A team of scientists has identified 'genetic brakes' that could potentially slow or halt diseases such as multiple sclerosis and cancer. Scientists from University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute found that hundreds of genes interact with each other to control how cells behave in the body, including potentially...
by Rose Palmer
Men's intellectual development can be impaired by gene mutations on the X chromosome, according to an international study by 70 researchers. The report, published in Nature Genetics, found that nine genes are linked to abnormal brain development in boys. Poor brain development causes learning disabilities in two...
by Rose Palmer
A pioneering stem cell transplant has enabled patients with Type One diabetes to go without insulin injections for up to four years. Researchers from Northwestern University in the US and the Regional Blood Centre in Brazil treated a total of 23 patients and found that the majority...
by Rose Palmer
A team of scientists at Keele University are working on an injectable stem cell shot that will repair joints and bones anywhere in the body. The research was presented at the UK National Stem Cell Network annual conference in Oxford. Professor Alicia El Haj and Professor John...
by Rose Palmer
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Picower Institute for Learning and Memory in the US have found that a gene commonly associated with schizophrenia is essential for normal brain development and the growth of new neurons. The finding was reported in the journal Cell and...
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.