An advisor to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued a preliminary opinion stating that procedures involving human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines are not patentable....
Scientists from Scotland have been awarded an extra £2.5 million from the Scottish Funding Council to continue their work into the development of methods to create red blood cells (RBCs) from stem cells....
For the first time, gene therapy has shown promise for people with severe Parkinson's disease. Results from a proof of concept clinical trial in the US were published in the journal Lancet Neurology...
Researchers in Japan have successfully grown sperm for the first time in a study that could eventually help preserve the fertility of cancer patients and help infertile men have children....
Bury NHS trust in Greater Manchester has reinstated fertility treatment after suspending the service in September 2010 due to financial constraints....
US scientists have taken an important step towards using stem cells to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the UK. The study demonstrates, for the first time, the ability to direct human iPS (induced pluripotent stem) cells to become...
A study has linked mutations in three genes with the severe pregnancy condition, pre-eclampsia. The international research team say they're the first to link genetic mutations and pre-eclampsia in women with the autoimmune disorder lupus...
A report published by the PHG Foundation argues there needs to be fairer access to genetics in mainstream medicine. It concludes that the UK's current approach to diffusing specialist genomic knowledge and applications into mainstream medical practice is not effective....
Immanuel Kant's 'Out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made' is probably my favourite saying. And where better to start reviewing this book? After all, what is 'eugenics', in whatever guise, but an attempt to straighten out the human race?...
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Comment
Is sex selection illegal and immoral?
by Dr Stevie de Saille
The use of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for sex selection has proven extremely controversial in the UK, where the procedure is illegal unless medically justified to avoid producing a child with a sex-linked genetic disorder, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. One reason often given for the restrictions is the fear that the technology will be used mainly to select male embryos...
Regulating genomic information needs new approaches
by Dr Christine Patch and 1 others
People interested in consumer genetics eagerly anticipated the meeting on 8-9 March 2011 of an US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel on consumer genetics. The 21-member panel comprised academics, clinicians, a patient organisation member, a company representative, and one consumer...