Gene therapy successfully treats inherited blindness

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]

California clinic to perform stem cell procedure amid FDA lawsuit

A clinic in California has announced that its doctors are licensed and trained to carry out a stem cell treatment for chronic pain. Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pursuing a lawsuit against Regenerative Sciences, the company that developed the technique...[Read More]

Cancer drugs may boost breast cancer stem cell growth

Two breast cancer drugs, Avastin and Sutent, may inadvertently aid cancer growth, a study in mice suggests. The drugs, designed to reduce the blood supply to tumours, were found to encourage cancer stem cell growth, potentially fuelling the spread of the cancer...[Read More]

£5.8m boost for mitochondrial disease research

An experimental genetic technique to prevent serious diseases from passing between mother and child is to receive £5.8 million funding. The Wellcome Trust is contributing £4.4 million to the new Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University...[Read More]

Lifespan predicted by DNA test - in zebra finches

Analysis of person's DNA when they are still young could provide important clues about how long they will live, if a study on zebra finches is anything to go by. Research shows that the best indicator of the birds' longevity is the length of a section of genetic code at the end of their chromosomes, called the telomere...[Read More]