Induced pluripotent stem cells made without gene manipulation
For the first time, scientists have created induced pluripotent stem cells from adult tissue without adding extra genes...
The addition of one or more nucleotide base pairs into a DNA sequence. Insertions into the coding region of gene (insertion mutations) often stop the gene working.
by Holly Rogers
For the first time, scientists have created induced pluripotent stem cells from adult tissue without adding extra genes...
Altering the genetic makeup of immune cells could provide them with resistance to HIV...
Mythical ideas of 'chimera', or animals formed or forged of parts derived from various different organisms, have endured throughout history, from Greek folklore and Homer's Iliad through to contemporary science fiction. In fact, organisms arising from human-nonhuman genetic combinations are already with us...
by Dr Greg Ball
The Bourne Legacy sees a return of the Bourne franchise, only this time without its eponymous hero, but rather a whole new breed of biologically enhanced undercover CIA agents...
by Holly Rogers
Scientists have restored the sense of smell in mice using a gene therapy designed to repair the cilia - hair-like formations on nasal cells that are important in olfaction...
A gene that codes for nicotine antibodies has been successful in immunising mice against the drug's effects. But although the treatment appears to work in mice, any 'smoking vaccine' is still a long way off...
Stem cells transplanted into the brain may offer protection against the side effects of chemotherapy, say US researchers...
Scientists have discovered the enzyme in our cells which corrects the most frequently occurring mistake in DNA as cells divide...
by Helen Brooks
HIV patients treated over a decade ago with genetically modified immune cells have suffered no serious side effects from the treatment. Although the cells may not have been successful in targeting and killing HIV-infected cells, the results are promising as they bolster the safety credentials of gene therapy for clinical use...
Early trials in patients with chronic granulomatous disorder (x-CGD), a recessive X-linked condition that affects the immune system, have shown signs of success following the use of gene therapy. The observed boost in immunity of those undergoing treatment was only temporary, however, and the faulty gene causing x-CGD was not corrected permanently....
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.