Issue 405 (01 May 2007)

Welcome to BioNews by email, the free weekly news digest of the top stories in assisted conception, genetics, embryo/stem cell research and related areas, published by the Progress Educational Trust. Sent to registered subscribers each week, BioNews by email is aimed at informing debate in these areas by providing balanced and timely summaries of the week's news and developments alongside comment, reviews and recommendations of selected topical conferences, events and more. It also contains job advertisements from the relevant sectors.

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Is there a right not to be a parent?

30 April 2007 - by Dr Anna Smajdor

On 10 April 2007, Natallie Evans lost the final stage of a four year legal battle for the right to implant embryos created with her eggs and the sperm of her former partner. Ms Evans had been diagnosed with cancer, and treatment necessitated the removal of her ovaries, leaving her...[Read More]

New drug offers hope for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

30 April 2007 - by Heidi Nicholl

A new drug is being trialled in humans which has been able to cure Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in mice with symptoms of the disease. The drug, named PTC124, has been developed by scientists working at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Pennsylvania University Medical School...[Read More]

EU gives go-ahead for stem cell and other 'advanced' therapies

30 April 2007 - by MacKenna Roberts

By MacKenna Roberts: The European Commission has passed rules on new medical treatments, rejecting all ethical amendments after bitter discord, caused primarily by the inclusion of potential treatments involving human embryonic stem (ES) cells and human-animal hybrid embryos under the European Union (EU) regulatory banner. The Advanced Therapies Regulation aims...[Read More]

UK couples request breast cancer embryo test

30 April 2007 - by Dr Jess Buxton

UK doctors are applying for permission to help two couples avoid passing on hereditary breast cancer to their children. Paul Serhal, of University College London, has submitted a licence application to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to select embryos free from the BRCA1 gene...[Read More]

HFEA launches public consultation on 'hybrid' embryos

30 April 2007 - by Antony Blackburn-Starza

The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has launched a public consultation on whether research using human-animal hybrid embryos should be allowed. A public meeting is planned in June, at which interested parties, scientists and members of the public can discuss the issue, and a survey...[Read More]

New studies shed light on genetics of diabetes

30 April 2007 - by Stuart Scott

A series of newly released studies have made major inroads into the understanding of the genetic basis of type 2 adult onset diabetes. Four teams of researchers, from a mixture of academic and private institutions in the UK, America and Iceland, have uncovered seven genes thought to...[Read More]

House of Representatives backs genetic information non-discrimination Act

01 May 2007 - by Katy Sinclair

The first coherent US legislation prohibiting genetic discrimination could be law within months. The House of Representatives has passed the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act (GINA), which will prevent the public from being disadvantaged on the basis of their DNA. The bill will now progress to the Senate...[Read More]