Scientists use CRISPR in human sperm cells
US scientists have successfully delivered CRISPR genome editing components to human sperm cells for the first time...
BioNews
Single gene disorder
A disorder caused by a mutation in a single gene. For example, cystic fibrosis which is caused by mutations in the CTFR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene.
78 articles
The strongest defence against genetic discrimination
Genetic discrimination, the excessive profiling or negative treatment of individuals based on their genetic characteristics is a recurrent ethical issue and a source of psychological distress for individuals considering undertaking a genetic test...
Preimplantation genetic screening: unvalidated methods discard healthy embryos
A seemingly brilliant hypothesis of preimplantation genetic screening arose in the 1990s when Dr Yuri Verlinsky proposed using polar body biopsies to detect chromosomal abnormalities in embryos prior to transfer in IVF...
Healthy embryos are discarded
Genetic disorders: empowering patients and families through information
'I've got the diagnosis, now what?' is one of the first questions families ask when they contact us at Unique, the UK-based organisation for rare chromosome and genomic disorders...
Ethics report on non-invasive prenatal testing raises questions of its own
The Nuffield Council of Bioethics' new report on non-invasive prenatal testing is unnecessarily negative and encroaches on women's reproductive choices...
Second gene therapy wins approval in Europe
The European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for a gene therapy to treat children with an extremely rare, life-threatening genetic disorder...
Individuals identified who appear 'resistant' to genetic disease
Scientists searching through nearly 600,000 genome sequences have found 13 'superhumans' who are symptom-free despite carrying mutations for severe childhood diseases...
Video Review: Talking Biopolitics — A conversation with Paul Knoepfler and Nathaniel Comfort
An author and a science historian host an online discussion on the promise and perils of the 'science of designer babies'...
NIH launches $280m genome-sequencing project
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has pledged over US$280 million over the next four years to genome sequencing targeting common and rare human diseases...
Genome editing and CRISPR: The science of engineering the embryo
We report from the third session of the annual conference of the Progress Educational Trust, titled 'Genome Editing and CRISPR: The Science of Engineering the Embryo', which discussed these new technologies and how they might be used in the future...