Bill Frist, the US Senate Majority Leader, has added his support to legislation that would extend the provision of federal funding for human embryonic stem (ES) cell research in the US. Current policy, set by President Bush on 9 August 2001, only allows state funds to be used for research...
Bone marrow stem cells can produce new eggs in adult mice, US researchers say. A team based at Massachusetts General Hospital has shown that the eggs of mice rendered sterile with a drug can regenerate within 24 hours, and that these germ cells originate from bone marrow. The findings, published...
In two separate studies, scientists working at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, US have shown that a faulty gene involved in controlling levels of the brain chemical serotonin is linked to an increased risk of autism. The first study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, shows that many different...
The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is to review its rules on how many embryos can be implanted during IVF treatments. Currently, over 90 per cent of IVF cycles in the UK involve transferring two or three embryos to increase the chances of success. However, this also leads...
Scientists from the University of Texas have found a gene linked to some deadly diseases of the body's main blood vessel, the aorta. They hope that their findings, published in the journal Circulation, will lead to new tests and treatments for aortic aneurysm and dissection. Aortic aneurysm is an abnormal...
Professor Ian Wilmut, the pioneering creator of Dolly the sheep, is seeking permission from the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to ask women to donate eggs for cloning experiments in his work on motor neurone disease. Professor Wilmut, who was granted a cloning licence by the HFEA in...
Australian scientists have identified two regions of human genetic material which they believe harbour genes that influence a person's IQ. The team, based at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, say that identifying the genes that affect intelligence could help research into disorders such as dyslexia, autism and attention deficit...
Two recent studies into public attitudes towards biotechnology in Australia show an increase in public support for the use of stem cells and gene therapies, while support for human cloning remains low, according to the government agency, Biotechnology Australia. Craig Cormick, the Manager of Public Awareness for Biotechnology Australia told...
Doctors think they are close to treating heart attack victims with stem cells, after promising results in trials using pigs. A Phase I clinical trial on 48 patients is set to begin soon in the US to test the safety of the procedure in humans. The procedure involves injecting people...
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Comment
Single embryo transfer must go hand in hand with adequate funding
by Clare Lewis-Jones
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has announced that it will be reviewing the clinical practice around the number of embryos transferred during fertility treatment. It will look at whether the UK should follow the practice of other European countries that have a single embryo transfer (SET) policy. Infertility...