Progress Educational Trust Conference: Growing Concern?

The consequences of assisted reproductive technology (ART) are a matter of great concern, whether this is the development of the embryo, the perinatal health of the mother, or the ongoing health of the child....[Read More]

Transferring single embryos: Education ain't enough

When asked why having twins isn't a good idea, I struggle. I start trotting out the party line, the obstetric risks and risks to the babies themselves, and then begin to shuffle my feet. It's complicated, I say, hoping they will move onto another topic...[Read More]

Scientists uncover 'key gene' linked to regulation of body fat

Scientists say they have found a 'master regulator' gene, KLF14, which controls how active some fat metabolism genes are in your fat cells....[Read More]

Radio Review: Frontiers - Epigenetics

This Frontiers programme challenged three genetic dogmas. The presenter quoted a recent Observer headline on epigenetics: 'Why everything we were told about evolution was wrong!'...[Read More]

Book Review: The Imprinted Brain - How Genes Set the Balance Between Autism and Psychosis

The Imprinted Brain sets out a startling new theory that could reshape the way we think about the human brain...[Read More]

A link between male infertility and epigenetic disorders in ART babies?

The aim of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is to achieve a single most important goal, the birth of a healthy child. ART is responsible for the birth of over 200,000 children each year worldwide. In the most common form of infertility treatment - in vitro fertilisation IVF), - the woman's eggs are collected and then combined with the man's sperm in a petri dish. The successfully fertilised eggs are then transferred into the woman's womb. In ...[Read More]

Sperm linked to ART-related genetic disorders

Mutations in sperm used for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may be responsible for causing the rare genetic disorders associated with these techniques...[Read More]

Epigenetics: responding to life by switching genes on and off

Session 3 of the Progress Educational Trust's annual conference (PET), held on Wednesday 18 November 2009 at Clifford Chance, was chaired by Professor Dian Donnai,Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of Manchester, and started with a talk by Karen Temple, Professor of Medical Genetics and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics at the University of Southampton and Wessex Clinical Genetics Service. Professor Temple gave an intriguing talk on the influence of parent...[Read More]

New study links birth defects with fertility treatments

Contrary to some earlier findings, a large Canadian study links an increase in birth defects with babies born through fertility treatments. According to the results of the study, which was presented at a Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine meeting in San Francisco, the overall risk appears minimal - less...[Read More]

IVF embryo culture link to genetic disorder

BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Prague (sponsored by Planer cryoTechnology). By Dr Jess Buxton: New research on mouse embryos suggests that laboratory culture conditions can affect the activity of several genes. The findings, presented by US scientists at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology...[Read More]

No link between birth defects and fertility treatments

Babies conceived using fertility treatments, including IVF, are at no more risk of birth defects than naturally conceived infants, a large US study shows. Researchers at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut looked at data from over 36,000 pregnancies, around five per cent of which arose following fertility treatments. But their findings...[Read More]

Only one genetic imprinting disorder linked to ARTs

BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Copenhagen: Beckwith-Wiedermann syndrome (BWS) is the only rare genetic 'imprinting' disorder linked to the use of assisted reproduction techniques (ARTs), according to the results of the largest study carried out to date. Researchers at University College in London investigated a possible link between ARTs and...[Read More]

Safety fears over ES cells allayed

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells do not show signs of genetic instability when grown for extended periods in the laboratory, UK researchers say. The results, published in the journal Nature Genetics, are 'not only surprising but good news for potential therapeutic use', says study leader Roger Pederson. The scientists, based...[Read More]

Call to track health of IVF children

The UK's Medical Research Council (MRC) has published a report highlighting the need for 'improved monitoring and evaluation of assisted reproduction technology (ART)'. Called 'Assisted reproduction: a safe, sound future', the report follows a request from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) asking the MRC to review the evidence...[Read More]

Child health after IVF assessed

A panel of fertility experts has analysed medical data on children conceived by in vitro fertilisation (IVF), and found that overall, they are no more likely to have major health problems than naturally conceived children. They found no evidence to suggest that IVF increases the incidence of major birth defects...[Read More]

Link between IVF and rare syndrome confirmed

An Australian study of 37 babies born with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) adds to the evidence linking in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and the condition. The researchers, from Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Melbourne, looked at 37 babies born with BWS. They found a birth prevalence of one in 4000 in children...[Read More]

Cloning creates abnormalities, ICSI doesn't, report finds

American researchers have revealed that cloning causes abnormalities in resulting embryos, but they found no evidence of defects in those created by other assisted reproduction techniques. The researchers were trying to investigate concerns that assisted reproductive technologies increase the risk of the rare genetic disorders Beckwith-Wiedemann and Angelman syndromes. Drs...[Read More]

ICSI affects growth of female embryos

BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Berlin: A form of IVF in which a single sperm is injected directly into the egg appears to slow down the growth rate of the resulting female (but not male) early embryos, according to a new Dutch study. The scientists, based at the Academic Hospital...[Read More]

Excess protein could affect pregnancy chances

BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Berlin: High protein diets could affect a woman's chances of becoming pregnant, a US study carried out on mice suggests. The research, reported at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) annual meeting in Berlin, suggest that women trying to conceive should avoid...[Read More]

Sperm link to genetic imprinting disorders

Men with low sperm counts have an increased risk of passing on certain rare genetic disorders, say Portuguese researchers. The new study, published in the Lancet, provides another possible explanation for the slightly higher rate of 'imprinting disorders', such as Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), in children conceived using IVF. Scientists at...[Read More]