Gene therapy used to 'cure' rare immune disease
A team of scientists based in Frankfurt, Germany, has become the world's first to treat a rare and 'incurable' hereditary immune disease in adults, using gene therapy. Gene therapy has been used successfully in the past, but this has generally been in the treatment of children. Over the past two...
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What clinics want from regulation
by Dr John Parsons
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (HFE Act) was passed by the British Parliament in 1990 to regulate the then relatively new field of assisted conception. One of the provisions of the Act was that there should be a statutory licensing body, so the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA...
Why the UK needs a law to prevent genetic discrimination
by Dr Anne Begg
Genetic testing potentially holds the key to providing many treatments, and possibly even cures, for a whole range of diseases. The knowledge that someone has a genetic condition or propensity may determine lifestyle choices, or help in early detection so that remedial treatment can prevent the symptoms from occurring. As...