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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.
| Victoria's secret (or 'V' for victory) |
| 02 April 2012 - by Dr Ruth Shidlo |
| The recent recommendations of the Law Reform Committee in Victoria, Australia, are expected to gain bipartisan support in Parliament and lead the way for reform. They represent a world first in establishing the right of donor-conceived people to retrospective access to identifying donor information... [Read More] |
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| UK Biobank, the world's largest biomedical database, opens online |
| 02 April 2012 - by Cait McDonagh |
| The world's largest database of medical information has opened online, allowing researchers around the world to access its contents. The UK Biobank holds anonymous information from more than 500,000 British people, making it a 'globally unique resource' according to England's chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies... [Read More] |
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| Vatican cancels stem cell research conference |
| 02 April 2012 - by Jessica Ware |
| The Vatican has cancelled a stem cell research conference scheduled to take place next month, citing a lack of participants... [Read More] |
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| Myriad Genetics breast cancer gene patent ruling sent back to lower court |
| 02 April 2012 - by Dr Sarah Spain |
| The US Supreme Court has ordered that the two gene patents held by Myriad Genetics be sent back to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, to be re-examined... [Read More] |
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| Genetic flaw raises flu risk |
| 02 April 2012 - by Dr Nadeem Shaikh |
| Differences in the severity of people's flu symptoms may be due to a genetic variant, according to scientists... [Read More] |
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| Call for moratorium on synthetic biology |
| 02 April 2012 - by Louisa Petchey |
| Synthetic biology, which uses genetic engineering to build new genomes and organisms, has come under attack in a report published by Friends of the Earth and supported by over 100 other 'public interest' groups... [Read More] |
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| All donor-conceived people should have access to donor information, Australian committee recommends |
| 02 April 2012 - by Rosemary Paxman |
| A law reform committee in the Australian state of Victoria has recommended that all donor-conceived people should be able to access identifying information about their donors... [Read More] |
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| NHS watchdog not up to taking on HFEA's role |
| 02 April 2012 - by Tamara Hirsch |
| A recent report claims England's regulator of health and social care, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), is not at present ready to take on the functions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)... [Read More] |
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| Legal challenge mounted to Oklahoma 'personhood' amendment |
| 02 April 2012 - by Rosie Beauchamp |
| Civil liberty groups in the USA have filed a legal challenge to the 'personhood' ballot initiative in Oklahoma, as a separate measure known as the Personhood Act progresses through the State legislature... [Read More] |
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| Positive results in motor neurone disease stem cell safety trial |
| 02 April 2012 - by Linda Wijlaars |
| A clinical trial to test the safety of a stem cell treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the most common form of motor neurone disease, suggests that the new therapy is safe and well-tolerated. Encouragingly, one of the 12 patients participating in the study showed some improvement, although the trial was not designed to test the treatment's efficacy... [Read More] |
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| Book Review: The Two Week Wait |
| 02 April 2012 - by Rachel Lyons |
| As I sit at my computer on this glorious Sunday morning to write this review, I suddenly realise the coincidence of the day: it is Mother's Day. Today of all days it seems very apt to be writing a review of Sarah Rayner's novel about two women and their quest to become mothers.... [Read More] |
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| Report Review: Consumer Genetic Testing |
| 02 April 2012 - by Ruth Saunders |
| Last week the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) released a POST Note - a guide for MPs and other parliamentarians on science and technology issues - on consumer genetic testing... [Read More] |
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