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CONTENTS

Issue 644 (13 February 2012)

COMMENT
NEWS DIGEST
REVIEWS
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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.

Comment

Beyond the treatment of infertility
13 February 2012 - by Professor Mary Herbert
The advent of PGD extended the scope of IVF beyond the treatment of infertility. PGD is predominantly used to prevent transmission of genetic defects arising from mutations in nuclear DNA. However, it can also be used to reduce the risk of transmitting mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which cause a range of debilitating and life-threatening diseases... [Read More]

Why we should back a law change to allow mitochondrial transfer into the clinic
13 February 2012 - by Dr Kristina Elvidge
Mitochondrial diseases are soon to be brought to the attention of the general public, as the Government seeks to gauge the attitude of the nation towards a ground-breaking IVF treatment that could prevent these conditions being passed from mother to child... [Read More]

News Digest

Gene variant linked to common type of stroke
13 February 2012 - by Luciana Strait
A genetic variant has been linked to an increased risk of a common type of stroke. Researchers identified an alteration in a gene called HDAC9 that is more common in people who have had an ischaemic stroke than in those who have not. The study also replicated variants previously associated with subtypes of ischaemic strokes... [Read More]

Parkin gene researchers grow Parkinson's brain cells in lab
13 February 2012 - by George Frodsham
Human brain cells with Parkinson's disease have been successfully grown in a Petri dish, allowing researchers to study them in unprecedented detail. Researchers used a technique in which skin cells are transformed into induced pluripotent stem cells, which can then be made to change into any cell type – in this case, neurons... [Read More]

Gene therapy successfully treats inherited blindness
13 February 2012 - by Maria Botcharova
Three women have reported a significant improvement in sight following gene therapy in both their eyes. Initially, they received the therapy in just one eye, but this latest study demonstrates the treatment was also successful in the other... [Read More]

Cord blood stem cell clinical trial for hearing loss begins
13 February 2012 - by Dr Rebecca Hill
US researchers have received approval to test whether cord blood stem cells could be used to reverse hearing loss in children... [Read More]

Cut IVF multiple births to 10 percent, says HFEA
13 February 2012 - by Nishat Hyder
The rate of multiple births resulting from IVF treatment is to be no more than ten percent, announced the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA), in the final stage of its policy to reduce IVF multiple birth rates in the UK.... [Read More]

Gene passed from father to son added to list of heart disease risks
13 February 2012 - by Dr Zara Mahmoud
A sixth of men have a genetic variant which could increase their risk of heart disease by up to 56 percent, according to a recent study... [Read More]

Gingrich wants panel to look at IVF clinics
13 February 2012 - by Ruth Retassie
US Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has called for a commission to investigate the ethical issues around IVF. He also wants a ban on human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research, including research on donated embryos left over from IVF.... [Read More]

Gay man who donated sperm to lesbian ex-wife seeks parental access
13 February 2012 - by Linda Wijlaars
The Court of Appeal in the UK is hearing a case in which a gay man is fighting for greater parental access to his two-year old son he fathered with his lesbian ex-wife... [Read More]

Reviews

TV Review: Katie - The Science of Seeing Again
13 February 2012 - by Rosemary Paxman
Following a brutal acid attack, Katie Piper has undergone 109 operations to rebuild her face, however it is the 110th that could change her life. By using pioneering stem cell treatment, Katie hopes to restore the sight to her badly damaged left eye... [Read More]

 

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