Issue 058 (15 May 2000)

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First cloned mouse dies

15 May 2000 - by BioNews

The world's first cloned mouse has died of natural causes, aged two years and seven months. Cumulina was created using nuclear transfer - the 'Dolly technique'- by a team of scientists at the University of Hawaii Medical School. Her age corresponded to roughly 95 human years, according to a report by...[Read More]

Human chromosome 21 decoded

15 May 2000 - by BioNews

An international consortium has finished reading the entire genetic code of chromosome 21, the smallest human chromosome. It is the second human chromosome to be completely decoded, following the deciphering of chromosome 22 last December. The scientists, from Japan, Germany, France, Switzerland, the USA and the UK, will publish their...[Read More]

Company announces database of human genes

15 May 2000 - by BioNews

A US company claims to have completed the first large-scale computer analysis of the human genetic code, using raw data generated by the publicly-funded Human Genome Project. DoubleTwist, based in Oakland, California, say they have located about 65,000 genes, and identified a further 40,000 potential genes. The firm carried out...[Read More]

Call for change in embryo research law

15 May 2000 - by BioNews

Dr Austin Smith, of the Centre for Genome Research, Edinburgh, has called for a change in the law, to allow couples to donate embryos for research into stem cell therapies. Dr Smith told the Guardian newspaper that attempts to find the Holy Grail of frontier medical research 'were being hampered...[Read More]

Viagra used as fertility treatment in UK

15 May 2000 - by BioNews

A UK woman has become pregnant after taking the anti-impotence drug Viagra during fertility treatment, her doctor announced last week. Dr Mohammed Taranissi, head of the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre, London, said his patient had been trying to get pregnant for six years, and had undergone two unsuccessful in...[Read More]

Guidelines for genetic databases

15 May 2000 - by BioNews

The World Medical Association (WMA) is to draw up ethical guidelines on centralised health databases. The move follows a joint seminar with the World Health Organisation (WHO), which revealed widespread concern about large-scale DNA collection projects. Delegates at the seminar discussed the issues raised by the genetic database set up...[Read More]

The 'race' to sequence the human genome

15 May 2000 - by BioNews

Look at media reports on the effort to sequence the entire human genome and you're bound to see one word time and time again: 'race'. An editorial in this week's Nature worries that the race theme is getting out of control. The editorial notes that the quest to sequence the...[Read More]