Medical research involving animals that contain human material (ACHM) raises new ethical concerns and should be more tightly regulated, warns a new report by the Academy of Medical Sciences....
Children with autism and their siblings share similar patterns of reduced activity in brain regions linked to empathy, according to new research carried out at the University of Cambridge, UK. The researchers believe these findings could lead to a greater understanding of the role of genes in autism and the development of techniques for predicting the risk of developing autism in the future....
A team of international scientists has found a common genetic variant which may explain why some men with normal sperm counts and good quality sperm are affected by infertility....
A fertility clinic in Hong Kong has admitted to implanting two embryos into the wrong woman earlier this month. The embryos, belonging to another patient at the clinic, were removed and discarded by the clinic upon discovery of the mistake. The women affected are said to have received counseling and compensation from the clinic....
Funding from private, non-profit, and public sectors will be needed for the UK to maintain its 'world leading' role in regenerative medicine, according to a recent Government strategy report....
Ethnic and racial minorities are in danger of missing out on future medical advances - based on genetic research - because they are under-represented in basic studies, says a review published in Nature Genetics by a team of geneticists from Stanford University and University of California, San Francisco...
The journal Science has retracted a controversial paper on the genetics of extreme longevity by scientists at Boston University. The paper, released online last year, was retracted before publication in print following a formal ‘expression of concern’ regarding fundamental technical flaws....
Passive smoking may harm the DNA in sperm, a new study in mice has suggested. If the findings are replicated in humans, genetic defects linked to passive smoking could be passed on to children, the researchers advise....
This documentary forms part of a BBC Three series 'Extraordinary Me', which follows the lives of young people with incredible stories to tell. This episode follows Josie and her family through the trials and tribulations of genetic testing....
Against a background of growing controversy over the use of embryos and primates for research purposes, a two-day conference entitled 'Research with Living Beings', funded by the Wellcome Trust, the AHRC Centre for Law, Gender and Sexuality, and the Centre for Law Ethics and Society (Keele), was held at Keele University...
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Comment
Preconception testing and screening: Has the HGC covered all the bases?
by Professor Ainsley Newson
Has the Human Genetics Commission (HGC)'s recent report on population-wide preconception genetic testing and screening convincingly demonstrated that this practice raises 'no specific ethical, legal or social principles' that would make population screening unacceptable?...
Improve donor recruitment: listen to donors
by Dr Kriss Fearon
Some of the most persuasive advocates for egg and sperm donation are donors. We become donors because we care about others and are proud of our decision to help infertile people build families. But donors' voices are seldom heard and it's too easy to overlook the impact of our experiences on donor recruitment...