Bridge to offer Counsyl test

A UK fertility centre is to offer the controversial US genetic test that promises to eliminate the chances of a couple having a baby with over 100 inherited diseases....[Read More]

The case for case-by-case regulation of PGD: a response to Dr David King

The Genetic Interest Group (GIG) welcomed the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)’s review of the case-by-case approach to the licensing of PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) for late-onset conditions and for tissue typing of embryos to produce a 'saviour sibling'. I attended the HFEA's consultation event at which Dr David King spoke on 1 December last year and heard his presentation. Then, as in the BioNews comment piece ...[Read More]

The case for case-by-case regulation of PGD

On 20 January, the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) will decide whether to continue the case-by-case regulation of two types of PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) applications: those for late onset conditions and tissue typing of embryos to produce a 'saviour sibling'....[Read More]

So are we making progress?

The contemporary media is increasingly flooded with stories where the cause, explanation or hope involves genetics. With all the reporting of genetic findings and its 'potential' to improve clinical care - has genetics really led to a marked improvement in our healthcare? And should genetic determinism be the focus of scientific research?...[Read More]

Tumour genes mapped in major milestone for cancer treatment

Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have sequenced the genomes of two cancers - malignant melanoma skin cancer and an aggressive form of lung cancer. Their findings were published in Nature last week and could transform cancer treatments....[Read More]

Rare gene mutation blamed for some childhood obesity

A rare gene mutation may explain the weight of some severely overweight young children, a study has found. The new findings have already affected when social workers judge children to be deliberately overfed or neglected...[Read More]

Reduced sentence for murderer with 'genetic predisposition' to aggression

An Italian court has reduced the sentence of a convicted murderer by a year based on evidence that he carries genetic mutations linked to aggressive behaviour. This is the first time that genetics have been considered a mitigating factor in a European court sentencing....[Read More]

Epigenetic link to autism

US scientists have identified a genetic trait that is strongly associated with autism. The genetic change does not involve a mutation within the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) sequence of a gene but instead involves an alteration in the physical structure of the DNA which affects the way a gene is turned on and off. The researchers hope that the new findings will lead to novel ways to diagnose and treat autism....[Read More]

Scientists calculate mutation rate in human genome

Scientists based at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, in Hinxton, Cambridge UK, have used ‘next generation sequencing technology' to work out the mutation rate in the human genome. The international team's findings were published in Current Biology last week....[Read More]

First gene clue to epilepsy in mice

UK scientists have identified a genetic cause of epilepsy in mice. If the same Mutation proves to be associated with forms of human epilepsy, then this discovery could one day lead to the development of improved treatments or even a cure for the disorder....[Read More]

Gene therapy and drug studies show promise for treatment of cystic fibrosis

Scientists have used two new techniques to fix defects in lung cells from people with cystic fibrosis, raising hope for new treatments for the disease in the future. The first study, published in the journal Plos Biology, used a gene therapy technique to treat the cells, whilst the second study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, used a drug called miglustat....[Read More]