| Fertility doctor denounced for claims of human cloning |
| 27 April 2009 - by Dr Rebecca Robey |
| In a controversial documentary for the Discovery Channel aired last week, Dr Panayiotis Zavos, a notorious US fertility doctor, claimed to have successfully created and implanted cloned human embryos with the intention of producing live human clones. Scientists and medical ethicists have unanimously condemned him for his...[Read More] |
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| Genetic variation raises melanoma risk in those who tan easily |
| 27 April 2009 - by Lorna Stewart |
| Having dark hair and tanning easily does not necessarily make you less likely to develop skin cancer, according to data presented last week at the annual meeting for the American Association for Cancer Research in Denver. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, US, found that people who...[Read More] |
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| Genetic 'brakes' could halt disease |
| 27 April 2009 - by Rose Palmer |
| A team of scientists has identified 'genetic brakes' that could potentially slow or halt diseases such as multiple sclerosis and cancer. Scientists from University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute found that hundreds of genes interact with each other to control how cells behave in the body, including potentially...[Read More] |
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| Genetic links to learning difficulties |
| 27 April 2009 - by Rose Palmer |
| Men's intellectual development can be impaired by gene mutations on the X chromosome, according to an international study by 70 researchers. The report, published in Nature Genetics, found that nine genes are linked to abnormal brain development in boys. Poor brain development causes learning disabilities in two...[Read More] |
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| Nuffield Launches Inquiry into Private Health MOTs |
| 27 April 2009 - by Ben Jones |
| The UK's Nuffield Council on Bioethics, an independent group of experts, is launching a new inquiry into the growing - and largely unregulated - provision of medical services through the internet and by consumer-targeted businesses. The multi-disciplinary group of experts will look at patients' experience of services including DNA...[Read More] |
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| US woman wins court approval to harvest dead fiancee's sperm |
| 27 April 2009 - by Nisha Satkunarajah |
| A New York court has ruled in favour of Giselle Marrero, a woman who sought a court order allowing the extraction and preservation of her dead fiancee's sperm. Miss Marrero told the Bronx State Supreme Court that on the day before his death that Johnny Quintana, 31...[Read More] |
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| US publishes new draft federal stem cell research guidelines |
| 27 April 2009 - by Antony Blackburn-Starza |
| The Obama administration has announced its proposals to fund embryonic stem (ES) cell research but it has indicated that federal funding will be restricted to research on cell lines derived from 'surplus' embryos donated following IVF procedures. Mr Obama reversed former President Bush's restriction on federal funding...[Read More] |
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| Stem cells offer hope for MS patients |
| 27 April 2009 - by Alison Cranage |
| A report published in the Journal of Translational Medicine shows that stem cells taken from patients' adipose (fat) tissue may be able help relieve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). In the preliminary study by researchers from Medistem Inc. and the Division of Neurosurgery, University of California...[Read More] |
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| A new method for creating safer stem cells from adult cells |
| 27 April 2009 - by Will Fletcher |
| For the first time adult skin cells have been reprogrammed into an embryonic-like state using proteins instead of genes. This feat represents a major step towards overcoming safety concerns associated with many other methods of cell reprogramming. This research was led by members of the Scripps Research...[Read More] |
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| Experts criticise lack of NHS funding for PGD |
| 27 April 2009 - by Ailsa Stevens |
| British couples at risk from passing on a serious genetic disorder to their children are being refused National Health Service (NHS) funding for treatment which could allow them to have a healthy child, medical experts have warned this week. The procedure, known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD...[Read More] |
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| Experts clash over promise of genomic era |
| 27 April 2009 - by Ailsa Stevens |
| This week Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London, called for an overhaul of the approach to genetic research which, since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, has led to the investment of hundreds of millions of pounds of charity and taxpayers...[Read More] |
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