Book Review: From IVF to Immortality

'From IVF to Immortality: Controversy in the Era of Reproductive Technology', by Ruth Deech and Anna Smajdor (Oxford University Press, November 2007), is a lively, accessible account of modern reproductive technology and the complex issues surrounding it. Punctuated with case histories used to illustrate and explain each passage, the book explores the science, history, legislation, ethics and future of assisted reproductive technology (ART) and its associated fields of medicine and scientific...[Read More]

Fatherless mice live longer

Mice produced in the laboratory from two biological mothers and without a father have been found to live significantly longer than normal mice bred from a mother and a father. These findings indicate that genetic traits inherited from the father but not the mother may play an important role in ageing and longevity....[Read More]

Link between gene variant and brain tumour growth revealed

The link between a certain genetic mutation and the most common form of brain tumour has been unravelled by US scientists. The mutation, in a gene called IDH1, was already known to be associated with the development of brain cancers, but it was not known how the mutation contributed to the disease....[Read More]

Stem cell hope for skin grafts

Human skin suitable for transplants has been grown from embryonic stem (ES) cells for the first time. The new technique, pioneered by researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell Therapy and Exploration of Monogenic Diseases, Evry, France, may one day provide a source for life-saving skin replacements for people suffering from severe burns....[Read More]

Controversial egg modification technique could increase IVF success in older women

A controversial new technique to improve the quality of eggs from older women undergoing IVF is being developed by Japanese scientists. Because the procedure involves using eggs from two women to create a single viable egg for fertilisation, it has sparked a media furore over the potential creation of what have been inaccurately dubbed 'three-parent embryos'....[Read More]

Gene therapy halts deadly hereditary brain disease in two boys

Gene therapy has been used to treat two young boys with a devastating and fatal brain disease called adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). Two years after treatment, both boys showed signs that the disease had stopped progressing and that there were no serious side effects from the gene therapy. These results, published in the journal Science, show huge promise, both for the future treatment of ALD and for the revival of investigations into the use of gene therapy to treat a wide variety ...[Read More]

Key genes for sperm and egg formation identified

US scientists have succeeded in creating early-stage sperm and egg cells from human embryonic stem cells (ES cells). By studying these artificially created sperm and eggs, the research team have identified three key genes that are involved in the development of these cells. The findings, published in the journal Nature, may one day lead to a cure for some causes of infertility....[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]

Warning on self-test fertility kits

Women have been warned against relying on 'over-the-counter' home fertility tests to gauge whether they can afford to delay starting a family. Scientists and doctors cautioned that such tests may provide false hope, encouraging women that they have several years of fertility left without looking at all the important factors....[Read More]

New genetic engineering technology paves way for artificial bacteria

US scientists have developed a new technique to help them genetically modify bacteria. This new technology may prove to be a crucial step in the eventual creation of a man-made bacterium which, if achieved, would be the first-ever synthetic organism....[Read More]

Gene therapy improves vision in rare hereditary blindness condition

A phase I clinical trial in the US has successfully used gene therapy to improve vision in individuals suffering from a rare form of hereditary blindness. The promising results of this trial pave the way for future trials and may eventually lead to a cure for several forms of congenital blindness...[Read More]