A US couple have used genetic testing to ensure that their second child, a boy, is not only free of a rare inherited disease, but also able to provide his ill sister with a vital blood cell transplant. Jack and Lisa Nash used preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) - a technique in...
A UK couple whose only daughter died last year are to launch a court action under the new Human Rights Act to win the right to choose their baby's sex. Alan and Louise Masterton, who have four sons, want to use genetic testing and IVF to ensure their next child...
Following the birth of Adam Nash in the US last week, several couples have approached UK fertility clinics to request embryo screening tests that would allow them to conceive babies that may save the lives of their older children. Jack and Lisa Nash used preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to ensure...
A team of US researchers has discovered a new drug that may protect egg cells from destruction during radiation therapy for cancer. They found that a chemical called sphingosine-1-phosphate (SIP) preserved the eggs and fertility of mice exposed to levels of radiation that would otherwise have destroyed their...
A patent application describing a procedure in which human DNA is transferred into pig egg cells has been turned down by the European Patent Office (EPO), who described it as 'contrary to morality'. Australian firm Stem Cell Sciences and US-based BioTransplant Inc created the hybrid cells during research into stem...
A public-private consortium that includes the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the UK's Wellcome Trust has announced a £39m ($58) plan to sequence the entire mouse genome by February 2001. The genetic information of the mouse is seen as the 'Rosetta stone' that will enable researchers to determine...
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Not unnatural selection, but genuine reasons to have a child
by Professor Kirsty Horsey
This week's BioNews reports on US couple Jack and Lisa Nash, who used embryo screening (preimplantation genetic diagnosis, PGD) to ensure that their second child was both free of a serious inherited condition, and a suitable blood cell donor for his dying sister. The story sparked a media frenzy, with...