Issue 567 (19 July 2010)

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.

Visit the BioNews website at www.bionews.org.uk where you can subscribe for free to receive BioNews by email in one of three formats, plus view more news, comment, reviews and job advertisements and search the full archive.

'My Daddy's Name is Donor': Read with caution!

09 July 2010 - by Professor Eric Blyth and Wendy Kramer

The 'My Daddy's Name Is Donor' report is co-authored by Elizabeth Marquardt, director of the Institute for American Values (IAV)'s Center for Marriage and Families, who produced IAV's previous report highly critical of donor conception (1), Norval D. Glenn, of the University of Texas at Austin, and Karen Clark, of FamilyScholars.org, and published by the Commission on Parenthood's Future, a New York-based think tank, in association with the IAV, in May 2010...[Read More]

Cancer Genome Project releases first results

19 July 2010 - by Jay Stone

The largest study to link cancer cells' genetics with their sensitivity to treatment published its first results on the 15 July... [Read More]

Couple placed newspaper advert for egg donors

19 July 2010 - by Nisha Satkunarajah

A woman has placed an advert in a local newspaper in a bid to find an egg donor. Diane Smith, 44, who is currently waiting to begin IVF treatment at the CARE Fertility Clinic in Northampton, placed an advert which read, 'We have been trying for a family for a long time but now we need to find an egg donor. Could you be that special person to help our dreams of a family come true?'...[Read More]

NHS hospitals could expand private fertility services

19 July 2010 - by Dr Vivienne Raper

UK hospitals could expand their private fertility services if radical NHS reforms go ahead, the BBC reports. The overhaul would allow leading foundation trusts - self-governing hospitals - to compete with the private sector...[Read More]

'Octomum' doctor faces fresh accusations

19 July 2010 - by Louise Mallon

The fertility doctor who helped 'Octomum' Nayda Suleman conceive octuplets transferred seven embryos to another woman, according to the Medical Board of California...[Read More]

Acupuncture does not increase the chance of IVF success

19 July 2010 - by Sarah Guy

Women given acupuncture during IVF treatment are no more likely to become pregnant than their counterparts who undergo needle stimulation to body areas not used in acupuncture, a US study has shown...[Read More]

Stem cells reprogrammed from easy-to-obtain cells

19 July 2010 - by Dr Lux Fatimathas

US and Japanese researchers have converted white blood cells (WBC) into stem cells...[Read More]

Alzheimer's gene variant impairs the middle-aged, scientists say

19 July 2010 - by Chris Chatterton

Middle-aged people without Alzheimer's disease who have a 'high risk' variant of the TOMM40 gene are more likely to have poorer memory, new research findings suggest...[Read More]

Sperm-making gene is old, say experts

19 July 2010 - by Marianne Neary

A gene crucial for sperm production in humans is also needed to make sperm in many other animals including mice, sea urchins, flies and worms, scientists in Chicago, US, have discovered...[Read More]

Event review: Music from the Genome

19 July 2010 - by Dr Vivienne Raper

Imagine singing a piece of your DNA. 'A', 'C' and 'G'- the first three letters of your genetic code - are easy because they have corresponding musical notes. The fourth letter, 'T', looks harder, but you can use 'ti' on the musical scale. Think 'tea' in the song 'Doe a deer, a female deer, Ray, a drop of golden sun… Tea, a drink with jam and bread'...[Read More]

Event Review: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Open Meeting

19 July 2010 - by Anoushka Shepherd

The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) held its open Authority meeting on Wednesday 7 July. The meeting discussed general advances in its work, received feedback from the Hampton Working Group and considered the data of compliance with multiple birth rate targets. The most pertinent and interesting presentation focused on feedback regarding the evaluation of the Donation Review... [Read More]