US researchers working on mice have reported that some animals may be 'unclonable' because of their genetic make-up. Their findings, reported in this month's Nature Genetics, show that some strains of mice may have more clone-friendly genes than others. 'We didn't expect it, but we found tremendous variability', said William...
A ten year international collaboration led by three British cancer charities is homing in on a gene involved in testicular cancer, known as TGCT1. Testicular germ-cell cancer is the commonest cancer among young men in Western Europe and its incidence is on the increase worldwide. Men who inherit the mutant...
Hundreds of failed gene therapy experiments, including a number of deaths, came to light in the US this week. The reports flooded in to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), after they asked researchers to provide information that might explain the death of Jesse Gelsinger during a gene therapy...
Human embryo stem cell research is now a step closer to becoming legal in Japan. The Council for Science and Technology (CST), Japan's main science policy-making body, are expected to submit a proposal to the government in favour of research on human embryonic stem cells around the end of March...
The last few weeks have seen a surge of interest in British biotech firms, say Telegraph business news writers. Among those benefiting in the UK are Cambridge Antibody Technology, which makes antibodies for research and therapeutic use. Oxford Biomedica, which is developing gene therapy treatments for cancer, has also seen...
Negotiators from 130 countries last week agreed on a Biosafety Protocol, designed to control the trade in genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It covers food, animal feed and seeds, but not pharmaceuticals. The treaty - to be called the Cartagena Protocol - allows countries to halt imports of GMOs they fear 'may have...
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Regulating gene therapy
by Juliet Tizzard
News this week from the US that failed gene therapy trials are not being reported as required, has prompted concerns about the regulatory structures surrounding gene therapy. Reporters at the Washington Post came across reports of hundreds of failed gene therapy experiments which had not previously been sent to the...