UK's HTA warns of unlawful cord blood collections

The UK's Human Tissue Authority (HTA) issued a press release this week warning of the dangers of collecting umbilical cord blood stem cells by those who are unqualified to do so. Cord blood is rich in stem cells that contain potentially powerful biological properties, which could be useful in the treatment of certain blood disorders and cancers, and may in the long term be used in regenerative medicine....[Read More]

US stem-cell therapy gets helping hand from FDA

A US company has been granted beneficial 'orphan drug' status by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an embryonic stem cell therapy it's developing to treat a rare form of blindness...[Read More]

Prison lifer wants fertility treatment

A drug dealer serving a life sentence is awaiting a Government decision on whether he can have artificial insemination, after being granted permission by prison bosses... [Read More]

Gut bug genomes sequenced

Scientists have catalogued the genes of microbes living in our gut, information that could be crucial in assessing the impact of microbes on our health. The study, published in Nature, reports the sequencing of 3.3 million microbial genes, a gene set 150 times larger than the human genome....[Read More]

Genetic test to improve breast cancer treatment

Scientists have developed a way to identify six key genes which, if faulty, can prevent particular chemotherapy drugs from working in patients with breast cancer. The findings bring cancer therapy one step closer to the promise of targeted treatments for patients, based on the genetic characteristics of their tumours....[Read More]

Genetic markers poor at heart disease prediction

A genetic risk score based on several genetic markers associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) does not improve the prediction of CVD risk, research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has suggested...[Read More]

Genes linked to babies' first teeth time

Babies with few teeth on their first birthday are more likely to need corrective dental surgery by age 30, a study has found. The UK and Finnish researchers also discovered ten genetic variants influencing tooth development during a baby's first year...[Read More]

Gene therapy could reverse lethal muscle-wasting disease

A team of researchers based at Ohio State University, USA, have used Gene therapy to restore nerve and muscle function and prolong life in mice with a form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a lethal childhood muscle-wasting disorder. Results from the study, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, were so encouraging that the researchers hope to progress to human trials within two years....[Read More]

Asda to offer cut-price IVF drugs

The UK supermarket chain Asda is to become the first to sell IVF drugs without profit, saving patients up to £820 per treatment cycle. The move is part of the retailer's bid to become the most competitive pharmacy in the UK....[Read More]

Scientists make fat in flower-shaped moulds

Whether a stem cell develops into bone or fat can be determined by the type of mould it is grown in, scientists at the University of Chicago have found...[Read More]

Stem cell policy proposal good news for US research

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has proposed a broader definition of 'human embryonic stem cell' (HES), which would allow Federal funding of research using cells at an early development stage....[Read More]

Second child born to ovarian transplant mother

A Danish woman has become the first in the world to give birth for a second time following an ovarian transplant...[Read More]

IVF technique is overused, says its inventor

An IVF technique whereby fertilisation is achieved by injecting an individual sperm into an egg cell is being overused and may pass on infertility to the next generation, the scientist who developed the technique has warned...[Read More]

IVF linked to increased risk of stillbirth

Women who undergo fertility treatment are four times more likely to have a stillborn baby than those who conceive naturally or use other methods, according to a new study...[Read More]

IVF less successful for Asian women, study finds

Researchers have found Asian-American women are less likely than white women to successfully have a baby through IVF, but were unable to pinpoint why...[Read More]

Doctors need training in genetics, says US scientist

Doctors need to be trained in DNA-based medicine, the US scientist who led the Human Genome Project has told a scientific conference...[Read More]

DNA tests for cancer promised

A personalised blood test that could track how a tumour responds to treatment and whether cancer is recurring has been developed by researchers in the U.S...[Read More]

Canada considers genetic discrimination law

Canadians need better protection from genetic discrimination by insurers and employers, according to Winnipeg North MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis... [Read More]

US single embryo transfers on the rise

The percentage of IVF cycles using elective single embryo transfer has increased since 2007, according to a report released last week....[Read More]

Scientists create 'designer' genetic code

Scientists have created a new way of using the human genetic code, by adding 'designer' amino acids to the proteins in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) to alter its biochemical behaviour. The research could pave the way to the development of what lead researcher Jason Chin is calling 'a parallel genetic code'....[Read More]