A gene therapy trial for an inherited immune deficiency disorder has been suspended again, following the appearance of complications in a third child. Eleven patients affected by X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disorder (X-SCID) have so far been treated by the team, based at the Necker Hospital in Paris. While most...
The European Commission has launched a new 14.5 million euro project to find out how diet and genetic factors combine to cause obesity. The DiOGenes project, to be carried out by 30 organisations from 15 countries, will involve collecting DNA from over 13,000 Europeans. It will apparently be 'the most...
Members of the UK parliament have called upon the government to make fertility treatment available on the National Health Service (NHS) to all couples in England and Wales with a proven need, regardless of where they live. Members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Infertility (APPGI) made their case...
A woman acting as a surrogate in the UK died shortly after giving birth on New Year's Eve, it has emerged. Natasha Caltabiano, who was 29 and a mother of two, suffered a ruptured aorta and died from a heart attack 90 minutes after the child was born, at St...
US scientists have identified several different stretches of human DNA which could contain genes that influence male sexuality. The team, based at the University of Illinois, say that multiple genes interacting with environmental influences are the most likely explanation for differences in sexual orientation. The results, based on a scan...
The European Patent Office (EPO) has taken another step towards preventing US firm Myriad Genetics from obtaining a monopoly on genetic tests for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Myriad originally filed several patents relating to the BRCA1 gene, three of them in Europe. However, the EPO revoked one of these...
Two studies, both published in the journal Human Reproduction, show that attitudes in society are tending towards more openness about sperm donation. Both studies looked at the attitudes of couples who used donors about how much information they believed a donor-conceived child should have about their background. The studies come...
A UK regional newspaper has offered its readers the chance to win free fertility treatment, as part of its campaign to raise awareness of infertility, the types of treatment available, and the lack of universal funding for treatment. The Birmingham Post has initiated the week-long campaign as it says that...
The UK's Department of Health (DH) has today launched a new national campaign aimed at increasing public awareness about the need for egg and sperm donation, and encouraging potential egg and sperm donors to come forward. The campaign, called 'Give Life, Give Hope' focuses primarily on men aged 28-40...
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Give Life, Give Hope: A plea for egg and sperm donors
by Laura Spoelstra
Last week saw the launch of a new campaign to recruit more egg and sperm donors in the UK. Here, Laura Witjens, egg donor and chair of the National Gamete Donation Trust (NGDT) explains why the appeal is needed: The Department of Health's 'Give Life Give Hope' campaign is all...