Screening for Alzheimer's Disease?

This week BioNews reports a study that shows a gene variant (APOEe4) known to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease is involved in the way our brains function (1). Some headlines stated that 'people could be screened for Alzheimer's disease risk', but at the moment it is not easy to...[Read More]

US single embryo transfers on the rise

The percentage of IVF cycles using elective single embryo transfer has increased since 2007, according to a report released last week....[Read More]

Cholesterol control gene could provide dementia protection

American scientists have found that a genetic variation could be associated with slower memory decline and a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The preliminary findings shed light on processes in the brain that could contribute to memory loss and dementia. The work was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last week....[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]

Reproductive research low priority for funders, says academic

The latest developments in fertility research were discussed at the British Andrology Society's annual conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 19 November. Conference organiser, Professor Sheena Lewis from Queens University, Belfast, also highlighted the lack of funding going into fertility research in the UK. 'Research councils or charities across the UK spend less than one per cent of their income on reproductive research compared with nine per cent on cardiovascular and 27 per cent on c...[Read More]

Human trials of ES cell research could begin soon

Stem cell therapy came one step closer to being tested for the first time in people this week, as a US company applied to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a licence to start a clinical trial. The embryonic stem (ES) cell therapy is being developed to treat Stargardt, a currently incurable disease that causes blindness in young people....[Read More]

Gene therapy for muscle wasting conditions shows promise

Research published in the journal Science Translational Medicine last week shows gene therapy can improve muscle size and strength in monkeys. The technique holds promise as a therapy for several neuromuscular disorders, and researchers hope that clinical trials will start next year....[Read More]

Gene therapy could remedy Parkinson's

A gene therapy for Parkinson's disease that has been tested on monkeys is showing promising early results in a small-scale trial on humans. French researchers reported their findings in the new journal Science Translational Medicine last week....[Read More]

New technique could help children needing bone marrow transplant

Children who need bone marrow transplants, such as those with genetic immune system disorders, could benefit from a new technique that reduces the need for chemotherapy. The new technique uses antibodies rather than chemotherapy to clear a patient's own bone marrow prior to transplant of donor marrow. Doctors from Great Ormond Street Hospital and UCL's Institute of Child Health reported their findings in The Lancet last week....[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]

US company's stem cell trial put on hold

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has delayed the start of a clinical trial that plans to use human embryonic stem cell(ES) cells to treat spinal cord injury. The trial is being run by Californian based company Geron. The FDA originally gave the go-ahead for the trial in January, but now has halted the start in order to review new data submitted by Geron....[Read More]