Professor Ian Craft, the director of the London Gynaecology and Fertility Centre, London, is facing charges of professional misconduct. It is alleged that during a gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT) procedure, he placed sperm and eggs into the wrong fallopian tube of a woman undergoing treatment, leading to a painful miscarriage...
Scientists from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics in Oxford and the Institute of Child Health in London have identified a gene linked to the disruption of speech and language development. The genetic link may show why some people suffer from particular language impairments. Professor Anthony Monaco from the...
British scientists have decoded the genetic sequence of the bacteria that causes Black Death, otherwise known as the plague. The discovery may lead to the production of a vaccine or treatments for the disease, which still affects people around the world today and is viewed as a potential weapon for...
Scientists have managed to successfully clone a mouflon lamb, the first time that an attempt to clone an endangered species has been successful. Other attempts have resulted in a live birth but this has been followed by premature death of the offspring. The European Mouflon is a rare breed of...
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has said that it will give careful consideration to a request made by the parents of Zain Hashmi, a two-year old boy with beta thalassaemia. The couple have asked that they be allowed to select embryos created by IVF in order to have...
Following the publication of the Human Genetics Commission's (HGC) first annual report last week, it was also announced that a consultative panel is to be set up which will contain approximately 100 people affected by a genetic disorder. The panel will include not only patients, but also relatives and carers...
Since news of the Hashmi family broke in the UK last week, various commentators have offered their pearls of wisdom on the issue of having a baby in order to find a bone marrow match for an existing child. One main worry seems to have emerged: motive. Some commentators have...
