A chromosome abnormality caused when a part of one chromosome swaps place with, or becomes attached to, another chromosome. Translocations can be balanced (there is no loss or gain of genes) or unbalanced (there is loss or gain of genes).
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has released its second annual report into adverse incidents at fertility clinics in the UK, showing a slight reduction in the overall number of reported problems following fertility treatment...
A mutation in a gene that regulates the structure of DNA has been linked to a subtype of autism...
A recent study has shown that mothers who have children at the age of 33 or after are twice as likely to live longer than women who stop childbearing by the age of 29....
The parents of a child with serious disabilities caused by an inherited rare genetic condition who died shortly after birth are suing St George's Hospital, London for failing to test for and identify the condition before birth....
In BioNews 535, we published a commentary by Wendy Kramer in which she stated that 'using a donor with reciprocal translocations is potentially even more likely to produce sick children than donors with autosomal dominant disorders. The chances for a chromosomally abnormal child are thirty out of thirty-two (Scriven, 1998)'. However, this interpretation is incorrect and potentially misleading, the author of the paper has since informed us....
Writing in the 26 May 2009 edition of BioNews, the Donor Sibling Registry reported about the recent birth of a severely handicapped and profoundly retarded baby girl who had inherited an unbalanced translocation from New England Cryogenic Center sperm donor D-250. Now, the same problem has been disclosed as occurring at the London Women's Clinic. A donor was found to be a balanced translocation carrier only after his semen had been widely commercialised. A couple had to destroy 22 embryos c...
The Donor Sibling Registry ('DSR') is a non-profit web-based worldwide organisation dedicated to educating, connecting and supporting those affected by gamete donation, including donors, recipients and offspring. At 25,000 members, the DSR has connected 7000 genetic first degree relatives; hundreds of donors enjoy contact with offspring and thousands of half-siblings...
Scottish researchers have identified another gene involved in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression), a discovery that could lead to new drug treatments for the conditions. The team, based at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, has shown that an altered version of a gene called PDE4B is linked to...
The lengthy process of applying for a licence to carry out preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in the UK is set to get slightly easier - at least for some diseases. PGD was first used in 1989, to select a female embryo that would be free from the severe inherited, sex-linked disorder...
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