Despite sharing the same womb, identical twins are born with different alterations to their DNA that can affect the activity of individual genes...
The genetic mutations underlying colon and rectal cancer are so similar that these cancers should be classified as one disease, a study suggests. Researchers analysed over 200 tumour samples and also identified genes that could serve as targets for future drug treatments...
Genetically modified bacteria may be a new weapon in the fight against malaria. Researchers have altered the genome of a bacterium that lives in mosquitos' guts so that it secretes proteins that are toxic to the malaria parasite...
Three men are considering legal action against a sperm bank in the USA after their frozen sperm samples were allegedly destroyed following a reported malfunction in the bank's storage system. Its operators have said the error could affect as many as 200 patients, reports the Chicago Tribune....
Women who undergo fertility treatment but do not become pregnant have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer before the age of 50, according to scientists...
Results of the first study to sequence the genomes of individual sperm cells obtained from one person have revealed significant genetic differences between them, confirming the belief that each sperm is unique. It is hoped the technique could be applied in fertility treatments to identify genetic mutations that may occur in the recombination process...
A genetic variation could explain why a previously promising class of drugs do not work as multiple sclerosis treatments despite being used successfully in other autoimmune diseases...
One of the difficulties in teaching medical students about the ethics of clinical genetics is that it's often hard to get them to appreciate the multitude of problems raised in everyday practice...
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Who will look after donor conception if the HFEA goes?
by Walter Merricks
To many people concerned with donor conception - patients, parents, donors and donor-conceived people - the Government plans to abolish the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) sound extremely worrying...
Spot the odd one out: The missing place at the donor conception table
by Dr Marilyn Crawshaw and 1 others
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) recently announced membership of its newly formed National Donation Strategy Group, set up in response to the findings of its earlier Donation Review, which, it says, uncovered numerous barriers to gamete donation....