Researchers looking at a genetic variation that is known to increase susceptibility to anxiety and depression have found that it affects females more than males. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was made following the study of monkeys, but the results may also be...
Voters in California are said to be 'evenly divided' over a bill that would provide the state with $3 billion of funding for human embryonic stem (ES) cell research. Known as Proposition 71, or the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, the bill will be part of the 2...
Laura Bush, the first lady of the US, has defended president Bush's policy on embryonic stem (ES) cells in a campaign tour speech. Speaking to the Pennsylvania Medical Society last week, on the third anniversary of Bush's policy decision, she also said that Democratic candidate John Kerry has exaggerated the...
Italy's restrictive fertility laws, passed in February this year, are making it harder for couples to receive fertility treatment in the country, as well as causing a decline in the success rate of the treatments that do take place. Since the law was passed, the success rate for fertility treatments...
An Australian study of 37 babies born with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) adds to the evidence linking in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and the condition. The researchers, from Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, looked at 37 babies born with BWS. They found a birth prevalence of one in 4000 in children...
In the first US/UK collaboration on space medicine, researchers from the University of Kingston will be conducting stem cell research in zero gravity. The £547,000 project is aimed at developing preventative measures against the effects of intense radiation in space, in preparation for NASA's manned mission to mars in...
Researchers from St George's Hospital in London have found that a particular gene variation can nearly double the risk of developing breast cancer. The discovery may help doctors predict a woman's chances of being affected by the disease, and could enable treatments personalised to a patient's genetic profile. The researchers...
Switching off a particular gene makes monkeys work harder, new research reveals. The study, carried out by US researchers and described as a 'tour de force' by scientists in the field, sheds light on conditions such as depression, and could eventually lead to new treatments Monkeys, like humans, concentrate harder...
The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has given a Newcastle team permission to create human embryos that are clones of patients. The team, which applied for the licence in June, is licensed use the embryos to make embryonic stem cells for research purposes. They plan to investigate diabetes...
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Slippery slope or uphill struggle?
by Dr Jess Buxton
Last week, scientists in Newcastle received the first UK licence granting permission to isolate stem cells from cloned early human embryos. Team leaders Alison Murdoch and Miodrag Stojkovic hope that the work will eventually lead to new treatments for diabetes, and a range of other diseases caused by the loss...