Issue 246 (24 February 2004)

Welcome to BioNews by email, the free weekly news digest of the top stories in assisted conception, genetics, embryo/stem cell research and related areas, published by the Progress Educational Trust. Sent to registered subscribers each week, BioNews by email is aimed at informing debate in these areas by providing balanced and timely summaries of the week's news and developments alongside comment, reviews and recommendations of selected topical conferences, events and more. It also contains job advertisements from the relevant sectors.

Visit the BioNews website at www.bionews.org.uk where you can subscribe for free to receive BioNews by email in one of three formats, plus view more news, comment, reviews and job advertisements and search the full archive.

Time to debate reproductive cloning?

23 February 2004 - by Juliet Tizzard

Following on from last week's news that Korean scientists have produced 30 cloned embryos and one embryonic stem cell line, a new cloning related controversy has emerged. Writing in New Scientist magazine, Professor Ian Wilmut, head of the team responsible for creating Dolly the cloned sheep, has suggested that the...[Read More]

Gene therapy strengthens rat muscles

18 February 2004 - by BioNews

Rats injected with a gene that promotes tissue growth develop stronger muscles after regular exercise, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Seattle. Scientists based at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, US, are hoping to develop new...[Read More]

Multiple births have increased in UK

18 February 2004 - by BioNews

Figures published by the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of multiple births in England and Wales rose by 20 per cent over the 10 years between 1992 and 2002. It is thought that increases in the use and availability of fertility treatments, such as IVF...[Read More]

UK government may not follow IVF recommendations

23 February 2004 - by BioNews

The UK Government is expected to announce that the provision of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment on the National Health Service (NHS) is to be made uniform across the country, but that only one attempt will be allowed per couple. NHS-funded IVF will also only be available to couples who...[Read More]

Blood stem cells produce heart cells

23 February 2004 - by BioNews

American researchers have used cord blood cells to successfully treat several genetic diseases, and say they now have evidence that backs up their approach. The scientists, from Duke University Medical Centre, North Carolina, told a conference last week that they have been using stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood...[Read More]

US human cloning regulation news

23 February 2004 - by BioNews

Legislators in the US state of South Dakota have approved a bill that would ban all forms of human cloning in the state, in order to 'close loopholes' that exist in the law. The Health and Human Services Committee of the state House of Representatives passed bill SB184 by 12...[Read More]

Charity obtains cancer gene patent

23 February 2004 - by BioNews

The charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has obtained a Europe-wide patent on the BRCA2 gene, which is involved in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. It intends to make the patent freely available to publicly-funded laboratories across the continent, so that research and diagnostic work on the gene can continue. The...[Read More]

Dolly lab to study human disease

23 February 2004 - by BioNews

Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland, who cloned Dolly the sheep, have confirmed their intention to apply for a license to derive cloned human embryo stem cells. Writing in New Scientist magazine last week, team leader Ian Wilmut says that he wants to clone cells from a patient with...[Read More]