The UK's Nuffield Council on Bioethics has launched a public consultation on the ethical issues raised by the future development of medical prescriptions tailored to a person's genetic make-up. The paper, published on 19 November, poses twenty questions relating to the use of genetic tests to predict how a person...
The General Assembly of the United Nations has approved a resolution delaying debates on an international ban on human cloning until October next year, following disputes about exactly how broad any ban should be. Delegates of the Legal Committee decided earlier this month to delay the drafting of an international...
It has been reported that two British female students, both aged 24, have sold their eggs in the US to help fund them through university in the UK. According to the UK's Sunday Times, one of the women was paid £3,800 and the other received £5,000. The newspaper reports that...
Following last week's decision to ask Maureen Dalziel to step down, Angela McNab has been appointed as new Chief Executive of the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). In a statement Suzi Leather, Chair of the HFEA said she was sure that Angela McNab was the right choice in...
An application has been made by Professor Ian Wilmut, a member of the team of scientists that produced Dolly the cloned sheep, to use a different kind of cloning technology to produce human embryos for use in stem cell research. Professor Wilmut and fellow researchers at the Roslin Institute in...
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Will personalised medicine ever be a reality?
by Dr Jess Buxton
Last week saw the launch of a public consultation on the ethics of pharmacogenetics à the use of genetic tests to decide on the safest and most effective medicines for an individual. In years to come, such tailored treatments may be a routine part of healthcare, with your doctor checking out...