Brazil has approved a new 'Bio-safety' law that, amongst legislative provisions relating to genetically modified crops and other issues, allows human embryonic stem (ES) cell research. The new legislation was approved - reversing an earlier decision - by a large majority of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies last week, with 352 votes...
Scottish couples at risk of having a child affected by a life-threatening inherited condition are set to benefit from a new preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) service. PGD involves testing IVF embryos, to ensure that only embryos unaffected by a particular genetic condition are returned to a woman's womb. Until now...
US researchers have identified a gene mutation linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. The team, based at the Massachusetts General Hospital, say that it is only the second gene ever to be linked to the late-onset form of the disorder. The results, published in the New England Journal...
UK researchers have identified a gene linked to dyslexia, a disorder thought to affect around three to ten per cent of the population. The team, based at the University of Cardiff, studied 223 people with the disorder. Their results, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, show that certain...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that gene therapy treatments for an inherited immune disorder are limited to those who have no alternative. The move follows news that a third child in a similar French trial has developed leukaemia. The trial for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disorder...
European scientists who want to work on human embryonic stem (ES) cells may feel inhibited by laws in their own countries that ban such research, even if they are working elsewhere. The problems arising from the diverse range of regulations governing stem cell research in Europe were raised in a...
Four bills have been filed in the US state of Texas that would affect stem cell research. Two of the bills seek to endorse the research, although neither would provide state funding for embryonic stem (ES) cell research. The other two bills seek to restrict - although not ban - the practice...
The UK's House of Lords is being asked to decide whether a decision taken by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which allowed the Hashmi family to try to create a 'saviour sibling', was wrong. The highest court in the UK has today listened to the first day of...
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Creating an ethical framework for stem cell research in Europe
by Louise Irving
The use of human stem cells, in particular, embryonic stem (ES) cells, creates many ethical, legal and regulatory issues. The countries of the European Union (EU) are divided as to the legitimacy of the research and the approach to take to regulate it. The Eurostem project, directed by John Harris...