Elias Zerhouni, director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has confirmed in last week's edition of the journal Science that only 11 human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines are available for use by US researchers. This is significantly fewer than the number originally stated by the NIH. On...
Researchers in the US have announced that as of 11 April 2002, there were 396,526 frozen human embryos in storage in the US, of which a little over 11,000 were available for research. The majority of the others have been earmarked for 'future family building' (including by donation), according to...
A London fertility clinic has attracted criticism over its scheme offering women free IVF treatment in return for donating their eggs. Speaking at a conference last week, the scientific director of London's Cromwell IVF and Fertility Clinic, Dr Kamal Ahuja, said that the practice cut 'gross wastage' of eggs in...
Two new studies have shed light on the genetic changes found in cells that become cancerous. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have discovered that over 30 per cent of colorectal cancers may be associated with alterations in genes that produce proteins called tyrosine kinases. Their findings, published...
Researchers in Japan are close to producing mouse sperm from mouse stem cells, according to a report in last week's New Scientist. The article claims that scientists at the Mitsubishi Kagaku Institute of Life Sciences have produced normal mouse sperm by selecting mouse germ cells from embryo stem cells grown...
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Marketing genetics: the need for consumer protection
by Nikki Ratcliff
The supply and promotion of over-the-counter genetic tests has been the topic of heated debate over the past year. Consumers' Association (CA) believes that this is an area that currently lacks the proper safeguards to protect consumer interest. The regulation debate is very much polarised at the moment. At one...
Lack of IVF on the NHS is driving the success of egg sharing
by Juliet Tizzard
According to news reports at the end of last week, a row has erupted over a scheme called egg sharing which is offered at a number of fertility clinics in the United Kingdom. Under the egg sharing scheme, women who need IVF are offered a free or discounted cycle of...