Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, have successfully created a human model for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) by using the induced pluripotency technique (iPS cells) to grow large numbers of affected nerve cells which can be studied in the laboratory. Researchers can now observe the process...
Individuals with alterations in ABCB1 and ABCC1, two genes thought to be involved in getting rid of inhaled toxins from the lungs, may have an increased risk of developing lung cancer, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer. The research, carried out by Chinese...
As 2008 drew to a close, Science magazine announced its annual top ten breakthroughs of the year, after considering novel research that 'paves the way for future discoveries'. Work in the field of cellular reprogramming was awarded pole position, ahead of a real-time video of a developing...
Doctors at University College London have performed the first procedure in the UK to screen out a genetic abnormality which is linked to breast cancer The BRCA1 gene, when properly functioning, can help prevent breast cancer - but abnormal variations can significantly increase the risk of developing breast...
An estimated 20 per cent of Caucasians carry a gene variant that could raise the risk of developing high blood pressure or hypertension, as it is also called. US scientists at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine analysed the DNA of 542 members of the Old...
The results of a study in Scotland have indicated that obese and overweight women have the same chance of successful IVF treatment as normal weight women. The research was undertaken in Aberdeen between 1997 and 2006, on 1,700 women undergoing their first cycle of IVF, and included...
Common gene changes which have previously been linked to increased cancer risk may not be as significant as previously thought, a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute last week suggests. The researchers, based at the University of Ioannina School of Medicine in Greece...
Stay up-to-date on all the latest developments in the fields of human fertility and genomics. And be the first to hear about upcoming events and other announcements.
Comment
A glimpse at the year ahead
by Sarah Norcross
Like Janus, the two headed Roman god of gates and doorways, beginnings and endings, this commentary will look back over PET's work in 2008 and look forward to 2009. * Highlights of 2008 The last year was largely dominated by parliamentary work concerning the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, which finally...
Is the embryo sacrosanct?: Faith in preimplantation genetic diagnosis
by MacKenna Roberts
In 1989, scientists first used preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) - a technique that merges IVF with genetic testing, enabling couples with increased risk of passing a genetic disorder onto their children to screen and select only unaffected embryos for implantation. PGD involves the removal of a single cell from three-day-old IVF...