Conservative MP says mitochondrial donation will produce 'genetically modified children' |
17 March 2014 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
The Conservative MP for North East Somerset, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has said that mitochondrial donation will produce 'genetically modified children' with 'three parents', and was 'effectively cloning'... [Read More] |
Gene links stress to heart attacks |
6 January 2014 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
The same genetic variant that makes some people more prone to stress has been shown to increase the risk of having and dying from a heart attack... [Read More] |
Mixed messages on surrogacy maternity leave from European court |
30 September 2013 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
Uncertainty in EU law over the issue of surrogacy and the right to paid maternity leave deepened this week after expert advisors to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) gave opposing recommendations on separate but similar cases.... [Read More] |
UK fertility and human tissue regulators spared axe |
28 January 2013 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and Human Tissue Authority (HTA) have been spared the 'bonfire of the quangos' it was announced on Friday, but will be subject to an independent review to improve efficiency... [Read More] |
US bioethics panel urges privacy protection in new era of genome sequencing |
15 October 2012 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
Whole genome sequencing is getting faster and cheaper but the huge healthcare benefits this data promises must be balanced by policies that protect patient privacy, says a report by the President's Commission of Bioethics in the USA... [Read More] |
Genetic map of all microbes on, or in, our bodies published |
18 June 2012 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
The most extensive catalogue of the trillions of microbes that live in and on humans - called the human microbiome - has been published by an international team of scientists... [Read More] |
Melanoma sequencing reveals genetic effects of sun damage |
15 May 2012 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
Whole genome sequencing of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has confirmed the long held belief that greater sun exposure raises cancer risk by increasing the frequency of genetic mutation. The study also identifies one gene, PREX2, that is mutated in 14 percent of cases... [Read More] |
Call for moratorium on synthetic biology |
2 April 2012 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
Synthetic biology, which uses genetic engineering to build new genomes and organisms, has come under attack in a report published by Friends of the Earth and supported by over 100 other 'public interest' groups... [Read More] |
European approval for skin cancer drug that could double lifespan |
27 February 2012 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
The European approval of a new gene-specific drug for an aggressive form of skin cancer marks another step towards an era of personalised medicine. A recent trial showed promising results, with the drug shrinking tumour size and extending life span... [Read More] |
IVF 'twins' born five years apart |
9 January 2012 - by Dr Louisa Petchey |
Five-year-old Reuben Blake has already started school, but his twin sister Floren, conceived during the same IVF treatment cycle, has only just been born... [Read More] |