The end of the HFEA: Are we throwing the baby out with the bathwater?

'We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we began to form into teams we were reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising. And a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation' - quoted by Professor Robin Lovell-Badge. The Progress Educational Trust and Anne Mclaren Memorial Fund organised a debate last week...[Read More]

Paying egg donors: a child at any price?

Should we pay women to become egg donors to tackle the 'mismatch' between supply and demand? This question was debated last week in an event organised by the Progress Educational Trust in partnership with the Royal Society of Medicine, supported by the National Gamete Donation Trust and the British Fertility Society (BFS)...[Read More]

Mouse sperm grown in lab

Researchers have successfully extracted germ cells - the cells that give rise to gametes - from the testes of mice, and used them to grow sperm in the lab...[Read More]

Gene that could protect against colorectal cancer identified, tested in mice

A gene known as deleted colorectal carcinoma (DCC) could safeguard against the development of the colorectal cancer by inducing a process called apoptosis, or cell death...[Read More]

Gene rearrangements behind seven percent of all breast cancers identified

Two gene rearrangements associated with prostate and lung cancer could also be behind five to seven percent of all breast cancers, according to US scientists...[Read More]

IVF linked to ovarian cancer but risk remains low

Women who undergo IVF treatment have an increased risk of developing borderline, non-fatal ovarian tumours according to a clinical study from the Netherlands...[Read More]

Genetic screens detect 'hypermutated' prostate cancers

Sequencing tissue samples from patients with deadly forms of prostate cancer has revealed previously undefined, drug-resistant tumour types that are ten times more mutated than other varieties, report researchers. The findings could help scientists develop screening methods and treatments specific to these 'hypermutated' forms of the disease...[Read More]

Unwrapping the mystery behind BRCA1

Researchers based in the USA and the Netherlands report study findings that may explain why women with mutations in the BRCA1 gene are more susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer...[Read More]

Key genetic clue in fighting prostate cancer

US researchers have made a discovery that might help doctors distinguish between benign and more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. The team reports that a difference in the genetic make-up of prostate tumours could indicate which are likely to metastasize and spread through the body, and which will be slow-growing and non-fatal...[Read More]

Genetic differences will help distinguish stomach cancers

Genetic differences between two types of stomach cancer could help doctors select the most effective treatment for a patient's tumour, say Singapore researchers. The research team used a new, better method of classifying tumours to distinguish 'diffuse' from 'intestinal' tumours....[Read More]

Genes linked to spinal arthritis

A team of international researchers have identified several new genetic variants that are involved in a type of incurable spine arthritis – ankylosing spondylitis (AS) – offering hope for novel treatments for those with the condition...[Read More]

Sperm, smoking, screening and more

Some of the highlights from the 27th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction (ESHRE) in Stockholm include good news for sperm donation in the UK; advice about how to reduce the effects of tobacco on unborn children; a 'non invasive' screening technique for chromosomal abnormalities in embryos; and a mathematical model to help reduce multiple births in IVF procedures...[Read More]