New regulations on the use of human embryonic stem cells (ES cell) have been adopted in the US state of Massachusetts. However, Harvard University, as well as other research centres and hospitals, say that the regulations could criminalise certain research activities and leave researchers open to prosecution...
By Dr Jess Buxton: US scientists have reported the first successful use of gene therapy to treat cancer. Two men with advanced melanoma are now free of the disease, after taking part in a trial based at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. The new technique involves injecting patients...
Genetic services in Scotland are set to benefit from a £10 million investment over the next two years, Scottish Health Minister Andy Kerr said last week. The announcement came as the Scottish Executive published its response to a recent report on the provision of genetic services...
A man's infertility could be directly linked to his body weight, a current American-based study reveals. Data from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) suggests that overweight men are significantly more likely to be infertile than normal-weight men, and that for every 20-pound body...
The British Fertility Society (BFS) has issued an independent report stating that access to fertility treatment in the UK is still unequal and governed by a 'postcode lottery'. The BFS conducted a survey of 64 fertility clinics in England and Wales, receiving responses from 37, which...
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Comment
Weighty issues: fertility and the media
by Tom Parkhill
The media storm over the British Fertility Society's statement on social values took us all by surprise. We had issued a press release about a forthcoming paper in the journal Human Fertility, commenting on the lack of implementation of NICE fertility guidance by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), and making some...
The EU Tissue Directive: not much time left
by Mark Hamilton
The European Union Tissues and Cells Directive 2004/23/EC was adopted by the Council of Ministers in March 2004. All Member States were obliged to comply with its provisions by April 2006, with derogation to April 2007 in the UK. In the next few months, the regulations, which will...