Lack of stem cells in womb linked to recurrent miscarriage
Recurrent miscarriage could be caused by a lack of resident stem cells in the lining of the womb, according to a study...
News
Image by Sílvia Ferreira, Cristina Lopo and Eileen Gentleman via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a single human stem cell embedded within a porous hydrogel matrix (false colour).
Stem cells restore sight in children with cataracts
Scientists have shown that stem cells found in the eye can restore vision in children with cataracts...
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
Clinic offers sperm donors free IVF for a friend
An IVF clinic in the UK has announced that it will offer sperm donors the chance to nominate a friend or family member for free IVF treatment....
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
Blood test gives early warning of skin cancer relapse
Scientists have developed a blood test that captures tumour DNA from stray cancer cells circulating in the blood and allows them to monitor genetic changes in skin cancer...
US Supreme Court declines to hear embryo dispute
The US Supreme Court has declined to hear a man's appeal against a ruling that gave his ex-partner a right to use embryos the couple had created together...
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
Genetics company launches huge open-access database
Genetic-testing company Ambry Genetics has launched a huge database of cancer-patient genetics, freely available to the public...
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
Rare mutation turns 'good' cholesterol bad
A rare genetic mutation that causes high levels of 'good' cholesterol also appears to block its positive effects, increasing the risk of heart disease by 80 percent...
Reviews
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
Video Review: TED talk - Should you be able to patent a human gene?
Tania Simoncelli's narrates the story of the successful legal challenge against Myriad Genetics' BRCA patents, but may have missed an opportunity to consider the broader impact of gene patenting...
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
Event Review: Timeless pop-up shop
At a first glance, Timeless looked like a perfumery or a beauty clinic, the walls covered with carefully placed bottles and boxes in pastel colours. But nothing in the shop was actually for sale. Rather, this was a pop-up egg-freezing 'shop'...
Comment
Disrespectful and immoral: retrospective legislation on donor anonymity
by Professor Guido Pennings
The State Legislature of Victoria has decided unilaterally to break their agreements with the sperm donors who donated before 1998 and will reveal their identity. It is difficult to imagine a measure that shows more disrespect for both donors and recipients...