Issue 220 (11 August 2003)

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IVF on the NHS?

11 August 2003 - by Juliet Tizzard

This weekend, the Daily Mail newspaper broke a story that a British government agency is considering a proposal to offer six IVF cycles to women under 40 years of age on the National Health Service (NHS). If NICE, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, ends up publishing what are at...[Read More]

First baby born after chromosome screening

05 August 2003 - by BioNews

An embryo screening technique that was licensed by the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in September 2002 has resulted in its first live birth in the UK. The procedure, aneuploidy screening, enables embryos to be tested for a range of chromosomal abnormalities and helps fertility doctors decide which...[Read More]

Crossing hurdles: the first cloned horse

07 August 2003 - by BioNews

Scientists from the Laboratory of Reproductive Technology in Cremona, Italy, have succeeded in creating the world's first cloned horse. This follows the cloning of the first member of the horse family - a mule named Idaho Gem - by scientists from the University of Idaho, US, in May 2003. Genetic tests have...[Read More]

Draft IVF guidelines spark debate

11 August 2003 - by Dr Jess Buxton

Draft guidelines aimed at standardising the government-funded provision of fertility treatment in the UK triggered media speculation last week. The first version of the recommendations being developed by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) suggest offering up to six IVF attempts to women under forty, according to a report...[Read More]

Modified stem cells heal hearts

11 August 2003 - by BioNews

Stem cells modified with a 'survival gene' could be used to treat heart attack patients, according to new research carried out on rats. Earlier studies using stem cells to treat heart damage in mice showed promise, but the transplanted cells did not live very long. However, US researchers have now...[Read More]