The eggs of women undergoing IVF are significantly more likely to contain chromosomal abnormalities if the woman is severely obese than eggs belonging to women who are of a healthy weight, a recent US study suggests...
A genetic test capable of predicting a person's risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), with an accuracy greater than 70 percent, has been developed by researchers...
Stem cells have been used to partially restore hearing in deaf gerbils through replacement of their auditory nerve cells...
Five genes that determine a person’s facial shape have been identified, in a study of almost 10,000 Europeans...
A trio of genetic studies published this week greatly expands researchers understanding of lung cancer...
The first single gene responsible for insulin sensitivity in humans has been discovered by researchers at the University of Oxford. The discovery has implications for understanding of type II diabetes...
The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has launched a public consultation on the social and ethical impact of new methods that could prevent the transmission of some incurable mitochondrial diseases....
The genetics community needs to work far more collaboratively if it is to meet the challenges of the genomic era, warns Professor Sir John Burn, one of the UK's leading genetics experts...
Significant improvements could be made to public health by building upon the findings of epigenetic research, according to a leading expert on epigenetics and child health...
Genetic tests that could greatly improve the effectiveness of drug therapy for a wide variety of conditions are being underused or ignored, a leading expert says...
This monograph is desperately needed. Western societies, who often chose consanguineous marriage in the past, have grown to fear it and to denigrate communities where it is commonly practiced...
It is not often that you get the chance attend a seminar organised by an institution that is still under construction. Due to open in 2015, the building that will house the Francis Crick Institute currently comprises a rudimentary basement and ground floor, a handful of towering cranes and a swanky visitor centre...
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Comment
Mitochondria in the spotlight
by Sarah Norcross
Mitochondria don't normally get much press attention, they like to keep a low profile generating energy in the cells and leave nuclear DNA to grab the headlines...
New study on 'Assessing Child Welfare Under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act: The New Law'
by Jennie Bristow
In the 80 hours of Parliamentary debate given to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill in 2008, a full ten percent were devoted to a heated discussion of the clause on the 'welfare of the child' that might be born as a result of treatment...
Greater than the sum of its parts - comment from the HFEA
by Peter Thompson
It's a busy week for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). As we launch our government-commissioned public consultation on mitochondria replacement, we are in the midst of a public debate about who should regulate IVF and embryo research. We will publish our response to the Government's consultation on the HFEA's future later this week. This comment piece gives a taste of what we will be saying....