A goodbye - and welcome to a new BioNews team member

After almost ten happy years as a BioNews editor, this issue will be my last. I started working for Progress Educational Trust (PET) in February 2000, nearly a year after BioNews was launched by Juliet Tizzard, the first PET director. In my first week, I remember thinking how useful a news digest of developments in the fast-moving areas of genetics and assisted reproduction was - and what a fascinating job it was going to be. But at the same time, I privately wondered whether there would be q...[Read More]

Dyslexia, genes and labels

This week, BioNews includes details of a study that has uncovered a possible genetic influence on reading ability. What exactly have the researchers found, and what does it mean for children with reading difficulties? And is it really the 'dyslexia gene', as it was called in some of the newspaper...[Read More]

Debating fertility legislation that affects the deaf community - a request for help

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill currently passing through the UK Parliament has already sparked much discussion, particularly aspects such as the creation of animal-human embryos for use in stem cell research, and the removal of the 'need for a father' from the welfare of the child considerations. There has...[Read More]

Should the need for a father be enshrined in law?

Those offering IVF and associated techniques in the UK are currently required, by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, to consider the welfare of the child who might be born as a result - including the child's 'need for a father'. However, the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill currently...[Read More]

Who should decide about embryo testing?

When the technology for testing IVF embryos for genetic mutations that cause disease was first developed over 15 years ago, its potential uses seemed pretty clear cut. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) provided a way in which couples at high risk of having a child affected by a genetic disorder could...[Read More]

Dolly row sheds light on normal science

Last week saw a flurry of newspaper reports covering another supposed scandal in the world of cloning research. No, this wasn't another chapter in the ongoing saga of Woo Suk Hwang's fabricated cloned human embryonic stem (ES) cells, but a story about the most famous clone in world: Dolly the...[Read More]

Telling the time on a woman's biological clock

According to last week's newspapers, women will now be able to 'tell the time on their biological clocks', and 'see how long they have left to have children' - all for £179. The launch of a new home test kit to help women gauge their egg supply was accompanied by a...[Read More]

Is it our 'duty' to take part in medical research?

In this week's BioNews, we report that the UK Biobank project is gearing up to begin recruiting volunteers - half a million of them. Potential participants aged 40-69 will be randomly selected via health registers, and asked to take part in the study. If they consent, they will need to...[Read More]

What does the future hold for embryo stem cell science?

For those aiming to develop new, stem-cell based therapies for conditions such as spinal cord injury and diabetes, 2005 will be remembered as the year in which hopes were first raised beyond everyone's expectations - only to be dashed, when apparently groundbreaking research was revealed to be an audacious hoax. The...[Read More]

Eggs and ethics in stem cell research

In this week's BioNews, we report on the ethical controversy that has lead to embryo stem cell pioneer Woo Suk Hwang resigning from his public positions - including that as chair of the World Stem Cell Hub, launched with much fanfare last month. What exactly did Hwang do wrong, and what...[Read More]

Call to improve accuracy of predictive genetic tests

Companies offering 'direct-to-consumer' genetic tests to predict the risk of common conditions such as heart attack and rheumatoid arthritis should provide more information to consumers about the limitations of their services, say US scientists. Their recommendations follow the finding that several tests from two such companies gave different results for the same five individuals. Genome pioneer Craig Venter and colleagues also call for more research into the predictive power of genetic marke...[Read More]

Prenatal testosterone levels linked to autistic traits

UK scientists have identified a link between levels of testosterone exposure in the womb and the appearance of 'autistic traits' in childhood. The research, carried out at the University of Cambridge, found that higher prenatal levels of the hormone were linked to an increased incidence of...[Read More]

'Postcode lottery' continues for infertile English couples

Only nine out of 151 primary care trusts (PCTs) in England are funding the recommended three cycles of IVF for infertile couples, according to the UK Department of Health. The latest figures reveal that despite guidance issued over four years ago, four trusts are still offering...[Read More]

Gene clues to cholesterol levels

A third of people have genetic variations that cut their risk of heart disease, perhaps by increasing the level of 'good' (HDL) cholesterol in their blood, say UK and Dutch scientists. A new study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, shows that individuals...[Read More]

UK MPs debate new fertilisation and embryology laws

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill returned to the House of Commons for its second reading today. MPs will debate proposed legislation on controversial issues such as the use of animal eggs in human embryonic stem (ES) cell research and other types of 'hybrid' embryos; 'saviour...[Read More]

Stem cell hope for wounded US soldiers

The US Department of Defense has announced a five year program to develop new stem-cell based treatments for service members disfigured from war-time injuries. The new Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) will explore the use of a patient's own stem cells to grow replacement...[Read More]

Genetics progress review published

The UK Department of Health has published a review of progress made in the development of genetics services in the UK since the publication of its 2003 White Paper, entitled 'Our inheritance, our future - realising the potential of genetics in the NHS'. The document laid out...[Read More]

DNA pioneer's genetic make-up published

James Watson, one of the scientists who reported the double helix structure of DNA in 1953, has now had his own genetic make-up completely decoded. A paper published in the journal Nature last week describes the sequencing of Watson's genome to reveal the precise order of...[Read More]

UK team creates human hybrid embryos

Scientists based at the University of Newcastle have announced the successful creation of human hybrid embryos, made by inserting human genetic material into 'hollowed out' cow eggs. Team leader Lyle Armstrong presented the preliminary data at a conference in Israel. The team hopes that such embryos...[Read More]

More gene clues to Type 2 diabetes uncovered

US and European scientists have identified six more genes that play a role in Type 2 diabetes, bringing the total number of genetic variations associated with the disease to 16. The research, published in the journal Nature Genetics, combined the results of three earlier studies carried...[Read More]