Genetic clue to holding your drink
Scientists have found a genetic link to how easily people feel the effects of alcohol. The team led by researchers from the University of North Carolina tracked alcohol tolerance to the end of chromosome 10...
Dr Vivienne Raper was formerly Science Editor at BioNews and at the charity that publishes it, the Progress Educational Trust (PET). She is a freelance journalist and copywriter specialising in science and health, and has written for publications including the Biologist, Cambridge Alumni Magazine, the East London Advertiser, the Ecologist, Ethical Living, the Financial Times, How It Works, the Nursing Times, P3 Pharmacy, Science, the South London Press, Southwark News, spiked and the Wall Street Journal. She has written brochure and press pack material for organisations including the UK Government's Department of Health, the Royal Society of Chemistry, Johnson and Johnson, and the Healthcare Commission (now subsumed into the Care Quality Commission). Previously, she worked at the PR agency De Facto Communications, and she interned at the thinktank Newton's Apple. She has a PhD in imaging and informatics from the University of Bristol, and a Certificate in Journalism from the National Council for the Training of Journalists.
by Rosemary Paxman and 1 others
Scientists have found a genetic link to how easily people feel the effects of alcohol. The team led by researchers from the University of North Carolina tracked alcohol tolerance to the end of chromosome 10...
Would you publish your genome? Last week, the 12-member Genomes Unzipped project published their direct-to-consumer genetic test results online. They say they're dispelling fears and encouraging discussion about what genetics means for society. But, in a Royal Institution debate on Thursday, Wellcome Trust Director Sir Mark Walport said openly disclosing their DNA would - like drunken Facebook party pictures - return to haunt them...
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has warned Bury Primary Care Trust (PCT) over plans to suspend IVF treatment as a cost-cutting measure, the Manchester Evening News reports. The trust aimed to stem a £1.3 million per month overspend by 'temporarily suspending' routine IVF treatment for new patients below a certain age. Patients already having treatment would continue to receive it...
The UK Government's advisory body on new developments in human genetics faces an uncertain future after it appeared on a leaked list of 177 quangos facing Government review and abolition. Members of the Human Genetics Commission (HGC) received an email on Friday from the Department of Health (DH) apologising for the leak in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, but not contradicting its substance...
The UK's fertility regulator is on a Government 'hit list' of quangos facing abolition, according to a letter leaked this week. The letter, dated 26 August, supposedly from Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude to other ministers lists the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) among 177 quangos due to be axed...
Genetic testing for some inherited diseases using ultra-fast next generation DNA sequencers could be piloted by some NHS clinical laboratories within two years...
Tests to diagnose learning disabilities, autism and blindness using a child's whole genome could become a reality in clinics by 2011, according to a leading Dutch academic...
Scientists have successfully grafted human testicle tissue into mice, allowing them to study for the first time how boys' testicles develop in the womb...
by Rosemary Paxman and 1 others
Genetic counselling for women and parents undergoing Fragile X syndrome (FXS) screening needs improvement, according to a recent review. The review also called for more studies into the benefits of population-wide screening for FXS...
The UK's fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), could be split up as the Government's 'bonfire of the quangos' continues....
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.