| New technique creates genetic disease models in human stem cells |
| 23 January 2010 - by Dr Rachael Panizzo |
| Scientists at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), US, have developed a technique to transfer modified genes known to cause disease in humans into human embryonic stem cell (ES cell) lines. The modified ES cells behave like diseased cells and can be used to study human genetic diseases in the laboratory. The new technique provides an alternative approach to mouse 'knock out' models of disease.... [Read More] |
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| HFEA publishes a Grade A Incident report |
| 25 January 2010 - by Ailsa Stevens |
| The UK's Human Fertilisation Authority (HFEA) has for the first time released internal documents from an investigation. These reveal the fertility watchdog's findings about two IVF Grade A incidents at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust. In one, the wrong patient's sperm were used for micro-injection, although none of these eggs were allowed to proceed to fertilisation, and the patients involved were informed immediately; and in the other, four embryos were rendered unusable following PGD treatment |
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| Twins born after £100,000 of fertility treatment |
| 23 January 2010 - by Rosie Beauchamp |
| On 29 December last year, British twins were delivered by Caesarean section at Stafford District Hospital, UK, to Monique and Neil Ward. The Wards had been attempting to conceive for 25 years and spent £100,000 on fertility treatment. The Wards were married in 1986 and after six months of trying to conceive tests revealed that Neil Ward had a low sperm count due to a reversed vasectomy. The couple then proceeded with an NHS-funded method of delivering sperm straight into ... [Read More] |
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| Early cord blood trial points to treatment for blood disorders |
| 25 January 2010 - by Sophie Pryor |
| Scientists in the US have developed a new technique for multiplying the small number of stem cells found in umbilical cord blood and have tested it on leukaemia patients for the first time. It is hoped that the new technique could ultimately remove the need for tissue-matched bone marrow transplants.... [Read More] |
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| New genetic markers for diabetes-related traits uncovered |
| 25 January 2010 - by Maren Urner |
| An international team of 174 research centres has identified 13 new gene variants associated with blood glucose and insulin, with five linked to Type-2 diabetes. The findings - published last week in the journal Nature Genetics -raise hopes of better treatments for the condition.... [Read More] |
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| Report recommends refusing IVF to women with unhealthy lifestyles |
| 25 January 2010 - by Ruth Pidsley |
| 'Fertility doctors should refuse treatment to women used to more than moderate drinking and who are not willing to minimise their alcohol consumption', according to a new report by the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). The report, from ESHRE's Task Force on Ethics and Law, covers the effects of alcohol, smoking and obesity on pregnancy.... [Read More] |
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| Online sperm services 'fill me with horror' |
| 25 January 2010 - by Dr Vivienne Raper |
| Websites have sprung up offering fresh sperm delivered to your door for DIY insemination by UK women, according to an article in The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (TOG). UK sperm donor shortages are blamed for creating a market for these 'e-semination' services, which have unclear legal status and are not covered by Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) regulations.... [Read More] |
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| Apology for Huntington's test blunder |
| 24 January 2010 - by Charlie McDermott |
| A nursing director from the UK's National Health Service (NHS) has issued a public apology to a patient - known as Mr C - and his family after he had been misdiagnosed with Huntington's disease (HD) for almost 20 years. The original genetic test for HD was issued in 1989, when Mr C was in his early 30s, and carried a four per cent chance for false positives. It is believed that Mr C fell into this four per cent and his case has been described as 'extremely rare, if not unique',... [Read More] |
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| Rocking IVF embryos may boost success rates |
| 25 January 2010 - by Harriet Vickers |
| Rocking growing embryos during IVF could improve pregnancy rates among women undergoing the procedure, and decrease its risks. Scientists at the University of Michigan, US, have built a device which mimics the movement felt by embryos on their way to the uterus. When they used this during IVF with mouse embryos, they found pregnancy rates were 22 per cent higher compared to those grown statically... [Read More] |
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| Drinking mice have more brown offspring |
| 25 January 2010 - by Dr Charlotte Maden |
| New research has shown that drinking during pregnancy can cause permanent genetic changes to the DNA of the developing fetus. The findings, published in the journal PLoS Genetics, may aid in the development of a diagnosis for fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).... [Read More] |
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| UK team tracks evolution of MRSA |
| 25 January 2010 - by Heidi Colleran |
| For the first time, a Cambridge-led team of scientists has succeeded in tracking the evolution and transmission of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) across the world, offering the possibility of affordable tests to identify and block fatal superbugs before they spread. The breakthrough, led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI) in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK, and published in the journal Science, means that researchers and public health officials may be better able to... [Read More] |
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| deCODE is back |
| 25 January 2010 - by Nishat Hyder |
| The pioneering genetics research company, deCODE, reemerged last week as a private company with new financial backing. Based in Reykjavik, Iceland, the original company deCODE Genetics, Inc led the way internationally in genetic testing and diagnostics for over a decade. With unique access to genetic information from Iceland's isolated population, the biotech firm has made important discoveries, such as identifying gene variants associated with common conditions ... [Read More] |
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