In last week's Commentary, the table showing the provision of state-funded infertility treatment incorrectly showed the age limit in the UK as 4, when it should have been 40. The corrected article can be read in full at: http://www.bionews.org.uk/commentary.lasso?storyid=2887...
The House of Representatives in the US state of Delaware has voted 32-3 in favour of legislation banning human cloning but making no mention of embryonic stem (ES) cell research. The bill (called SB 80) was the result of a compromise, having had language regulating ES cell research removed...
Stem cells from cloned mouse embryos are indistinguishable from those obtained using mouse IVF embryos, say US researchers. The team, based at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, showed that gene activity 'profiles' of embryonic stem (ES) cells from the two sources are virtually identical. The findings, published in the...
US researchers have discovered how to expand a population of blood stem cells growing in the laboratory, a finding that offers hope for patients requiring bone marrow transplants. It also holds promise for some gene therapy treatments, say the team, who are based at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
Scientists have identified a key gene involved in embryo implantation in mice. The gene makes a uterine protein known as C/EBPb, which is regulated by oestrogen and progesterone. The researchers say the protein must be present for pregnancy to occur in mice. The team, from the University of Illinois...
A project to collect DNA samples and medical information from half a million Britons is to be launched within weeks, New Scientist magazine reports. The UK Biobank, hosted at the University of Manchester, wants to recruit up to 500,000 volunteers aged between 45-69 years. The aim of the project...
Scientists have found a link between a common pesticide and male infertility. The chemical, chlorpyrifos, which is permitted under EU regulations, is widely used in Britain in agriculture and was also, until recently, found in common insecticides for use in private gardens. It can also be found in common household...
Icelandic researchers have identified a gene they say could be involved in up to a fifth of all cases of type 2 diabetes. People who inherit a particular version of the gene have a significantly increased risk of developing the condition, say the scientists, who are based at the biotechnology...
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Comment
Is it our 'duty' to take part in medical research?
by Dr Jess Buxton
In this week's BioNews, we report that the UK Biobank project is gearing up to begin recruiting volunteers - half a million of them. Potential participants aged 40-69 will be randomly selected via health registers, and asked to take part in the study. If they consent, they will need to...