Book review: Ethical and Legal Requirements for Transnational Genetic Research

First, here is the bad news. Readers attracted by this title are in for a stormy and depressing journey. The writing, both in choice of language and sentence construction, is turgid. The problems of 'plain English' start in the six-page introduction, reach a low point in the ethical chapter and only improve slightly in the legal section...[Read More]

Book Review: Genetic Twists of Fate

News reports that researchers have linked a certain gene to a disease, condition or trait appear almost daily. The most recent include multiple sclerosis, ovarian cancer, schizophrenia and even intelligence...[Read More]

Free fetal DNA for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD): ethical aspects

Dr Phillipa Brice's accompanying commentary highlights how non-invasive testing of free fetal DNA (ffDNA) in pregnancy could transform women's experiences of antenatal screening and prenatal diagnosis. NIPD is already available for foetal sex, rhesus D blood type and some Mendelian conditions such as achondroplasia, with tests for aneuploidy detection and...[Read More]

Genetic trait inherited through RNA

A team of scientists have found evidence that RNA in the sperm of mice is able to transmit a trait that is not coded for in the animal's DNA. The team, working at the University of Nice, France, were studying a gene called Kit. This gene occurs...[Read More]

Putting genes in their place

The 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA presents a golden opportunity to take stock of what impact this and subsequent discoveries in molecular genetics have had and what it promises for the future of human health and happiness. Genetics is now big business. Worldwide anniversary celebrations...[Read More]