US researchers have identified a single gene alteration that controls the amount of time a fruit fly sleeps for. The discovery could lead to new ways of treating sleep disturbances in people, say the scientists, who are based at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. The findings, published in the...
Testing people to identify those at risk of developing a preventable genetic condition does not make them more anxious, Australian researchers have found. The team investigated the effect of carrying out a genetic test for haemochromatosis, a disorder that causes the body to absorb too much iron. They found that...
All centres carrying out preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) should be following up the resulting babies to track any long term effects on their health, a UK doctor has said. Peter Braude, of Kings College London, one of eight UK centres offering the treatment, called for more long-term studies at a...
US firm Celera Genomics is to discontinue its subscription business, through which it charges scientists to access its genome data. The company caused controversy when it published its version of the entire human genetic code, in February 2001. In contrast to the publicly-funded human genome effort, Celera did not make...
The UK's House of Lords has ruled that the decision taken by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to allow the Hashmi family to try to create a 'saviour sibling' was lawful. The highest court in the UK heard the appeal case of Quintavalle (On behalf of Comment on...
The state Senate of Massachusetts, US, has passed an amended bill regulating human embryonic stem (ES) cell research and cloning. Sponsored by Senate President Robert Travaglini, the bill, which was passed by 34 votes to two, would allow embryos to be cloned for medical research purposes, but prohibit human reproductive...
A panel of the US National Academies of science has released a report detailing proposed voluntary ethical guidelines to be followed by human embryonic stem (ES) cell researchers. The ten-member panel makes more than 50 recommendations, including the primary recommendation that an ethical oversight committee is set up in each...
The Australian federal government is planning to cut back on funding for IVF in its budget next month. It is considering placing a cap on the number of Medicare-funded IVF treatments to a maximum of three for women over 42 and three per year for women below that age. The...
Stay up-to-date on all the latest developments in the fields of human fertility and genomics.
And be the first to hear about upcoming events and other announcements.
Comment
Why treat PGD for late onset disorders differently?
by Dr Mohamed Taranissi
Like so many areas of new reproductive and genetic technology, PGD for susceptibility and late onset disorders needs careful attention. It raises some unique questions, and the recent decision of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to license PGD for bowel cancer has attracted much criticism from those who...