It's all downhill for the brain once you reach 40, according to a new US study. Scientists at Harvard Medical School have identified a set of brain genes that do not work as well after this age, and another set that work harder, to try and limit the effects of...
Human sexual behaviour is influenced by genes, says Tim Spector, director of the Twin Research Unit at St Thomas's Hospital in London. He has found that if one of a pair of female twins has a history of infidelity, then the other is also more likely to be unfaithful to...
A French gene therapy trial halted after two participants developed leukaemia looks set to restart after a 22-month suspension, reports Nature. Scientists at the Necker hospital in Paris successfully treated nine children with an inherited immune system disorder called X-linked severe combined immune deficiency (X-SCID). But the trial, along...
Only one third of primary care trusts (PCTs) in England will introduce guidelines designed to end the 'postcode lottery' of IVF treatment on the National Health Service (NHS), according to a new survey. This means that prospective patients in many parts of the country may still struggle to obtain NHS-funded...
As the world focuses on the death of Ronald Reagan from Alzheimer's disease, lobbyists are taking the opportunity to push research into human embryonic stem (ES) cells, a potential treatment. But members of the scientific community have expressed concerns that Alzheimer's is being used to promote stem cell therapy, despite...
Following the news last month of the baby boy who was conceived from sperm that had been frozen for a record 21 years, his name, and those of his parents, have been made public. Trevor and Joan White gave an interview with the UK's Daily Mail newspaper on Saturday, in...
Laura Bush, the wife of President George W Bush, has told interviewers in the US that the president's stance on human embryonic stem (ES) cell research remains unchanged, despite pleas from members of Congress, the Senate and others. She also voiced her wholehearted support for his policy on the issue...
Scientists at a private US fertility clinic have developed 12 new embryo stem (ES) cell lines, using embryos donated by couples who underwent preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to avoid passing on a genetic condition to their child. The cell lines include those carrying gene mutations involved in two forms of...
UK scientists have linked high activity levels of a gene called E2F3 with aggressive prostate cancer. The team, based at the University of Liverpool, found that high levels of the E2F3 protein in prostate cancer samples were linked to a poor survival rate. The findings, published in the journal Oncogene...
Fifty-eight US Senators, from both political parties and representing a majority of the Senate, have sent a letter to President Bush, urging him to change his policy on embryonic stem (ES) cell research. Their action comes only a month after a similar letter to the president was signed by 206...
New guidelines have been issued in the UK to protect frozen sperm, eggs and embryos stored in fertility clinics from being accidentally destroyed. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the government body which licenses and monitors fertility clinics, said that it decided to implement the new storage rules after...
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Comment
Unpacking the 'Ice Baby' story
by Dr Elizabeth Pease
The unexpected media interest generated in our case report in Human Reproduction (June 2004) merits further expansive discussion. Our overwhelmed couple are delighted that the publicity has given hope to other young cancer patients and drawn attention to success achieved within the National Health Service (NHS), for which the couple...