Issue 191 (20 January 2003)

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Should parents be able to choose the sex of their baby?

20 January 2003 - by Juliet Tizzard

In case you hadn't already noticed, a public consultation has been taking place in the UK over the past few months. Your views are being sought as to whether couples should be able to choose the sex of their prospective children. When a woman is expecting a baby, someone is...[Read More]

Leukaemia fears halt gene therapy trials

20 January 2003 - by BioNews

More US gene therapy trials were suspended last week, after news that a second patient receiving treatment for a rare immune disease at the Necker Hospital in Paris is showing symptoms of leukaemia. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had already halted three trials in October, after hearing that...[Read More]

IVF linked to genetic condition

20 January 2003 - by BioNews

Babies conceived using assisted reproduction technology could be more prone to certain rare genetic conditions than children conceived naturally, a new UK study suggests. Researchers based in Birmingham and Cambridge studied 149 babies with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), a rare genetic condition characterised by overgrowth of various body tissues and an...[Read More]

Embryologist is sentenced

20 January 2003 - by BioNews

Paul Fielding, the British embryologist who was convicted last month of three counts of assault and eight counts of false accounting, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a Southampton court earlier this week. The charges were brought against the Basingstoke, Hampshire-based embryologist after allegations that he had deceived...[Read More]

Embryos stick at it

20 January 2003 - by BioNews

Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered the process by which early embryos attach to the wall of the uterus and continue development. The research, published in the journal Science, may lead to new diagnostic processes and treatments for infertility and new contraceptives. The research...[Read More]

Goldie is a 'knock-out'

20 January 2003 - by BioNews

A miniature piglet lacking both copies of a gene that would cause its organs to be rejected if transplanted into humans has been cloned by a US-based company. While pigs that have had these genes 'knocked-out' have been cloned before, the organs of the miniature pig are similar in size...[Read More]