Safety of stem cells supported by mouse study
Tissue derived from induced pluripotent stem cells causes 'limited or no immune response' in mice, a study published in Nature has found...
News
Epilepsy and migraine may be genetically linked
Scientists find those with epilepsy who have a strong family history of the disorder are also more likely to have migraines...
Non-invasive prenatal test as good as invasive methods, say scientists
US biotech company Verinata Health has reported sequencing fetal DNA taken from pregnant women's blood to test for genetic abnormalities...
Genes affect weight gain from fatty diets
Genes play a role in weight gain resulting from diets high in fat and sugar content, say scientists...
Every 15 cigarettes smoked causes a genetic mutation, says Department of Health
The Department of Health has launched an advertisement campaign aiming to highlight the unseen damage caused by smoking...
US Supreme Court: Challenge to expand stem cell funding rejected
The US Supreme Court has declined to hear a final appeal seeking to challenge the legality of using public money to fund embryonic stem cell (hESC) research...
Genetic test for asthma may improve treatment
Testing children with asthma for a variant in the beta-2 receptor gene may help clinicians determine the most suitable medication, especially in children who respond poorly to standard treatment...
Reviews
Event Review: Masterpieces of Epigenetics - The Missing Link between Nature and Nurture
'Beautiful science' was how Dr Nessa Carey described epigenetics at the Biochemical Society Annual Symposium Public Lecture, held at the University of Leeds...
Comment
'Just' giving: PET's evening debate on gamete donation from the donor perspective
by Dr Antony Starza-Allen
The image of the sperm donor nipping off between lectures to casually donate for a few quid of beer money was neatly set aside by this thought-provoking debate. In his place, in strode the complex male — knowledgeable, thoughtful, sensitive… and probably over 25...
The fiscal cliff
by Sarah Norcross
The fiscal cliff featured prominently in the news over Christmas and the New Year. At first I thought that is was some PR story and that Cliff Richard had been rebranded and 'Mistletoe and Wine' would be reissued with the latest X Factor winner...
An unfortunate step backward for donor conception in Canada
by Dr Juliet Guichon and 1 others
People conceived by donor gametes in Canada do not have a right to access their progenitors' medical records or identities. To change this reality, Olivia Pratten brought litigation in October 2008 against the government of British Columbia, where she was donor-conceived about 30 years ago...