Conference on Biomedicine and Human Rights

During the conference eminent scholars from a variety of disciplines (medicine, law, ethics, philosophy) will discuss the meaning of the Convention’s underlying principles and fundamental rights in health care, contemporary dilemmas in health care (policy) and the Convention’s impact on national health legislation and daily practice. The conference provides an opportunity for discussion among scholars and practitioners in Europe on emerging issues in biomedicine and human rights. (Conference Website)

Researchers must address the lack of knowledge about risks posed by nanotechnology in the health sector to provide appropriate input to policymakers, cautions a leading expert of the European Commission. (SciDev)

Amish groups rallied politically against state closure of midwife Diane Goslin’s practice. (Christian Science Monitor)

The announcement last week of Advanced Cell Technology’s imminent closure is evidence that embryonic stem cell technology may be too nascent for fruitful biotech innovation, according to some industry analysts. (The Scientist)

STEM cells would be harvested from the placentas and umbilical cords of newborn babies, under a plan Australian researchers say could yield therapies for conditions ranging from arthritis to burns. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Scientists leading international projects to use DNA barcoding for biodiversity mapping are proposing a series of guidelines in an attempt to overcome the reluctance of developing countries to take up the technology. (SciDev)

Debate over this step in the exploration of stem cells already has reverberated across the Atlantic. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., is a co-sponsor of a bill that would ban the research in the United States. (MinnPost)

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that the Notch protein helps human embryonic stem cells “decide” their own fate, a finding which may eventually be useful in programming cells for the development of stem cell therapies. Their results are reported in the May 2008 issue of Cell Stem Cell. (Ascribe)

When the human genome was decoded and the achievement breathlessly announced in 2003, a new race was launched: Who would be the first to make this trove of genetic information practically useful — and profitable? (TIME)

The scientist that helped clone Dolly the sheep has moved away from cloning and toward making embryonic-like stem cells without eggs. The shift is described in an article and interview in Scientific American. Wilmut (and others) think that iPS cells might one day replace ES cells for clinical applications and drug-testing applications, but no one thinks that day is now here. Bits of the SciAm articles are floating around the blogosphere, but these (willfully?) strip away some of the nuances, so it’s worth reading the full articles from the source. I also think that the article conflated and neglected a few ideas, which I’ll outline below. (Nature Blog)

A biotech entrepreneur seeking ministerial approval of Auckland experiments to implant pig tissues in diabetes patients is ramping up its production of piglets to kill for transplant tissue. (3news)

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield also agree to restore coverage to patients whose coverage was canceled after they became ill. (Los Angeles Times)

Czech Minister in charge of human rights and minorities Dzamila Stehlikova (junior governing Green Party, SZ) said today the senatorial bill on the introduction of euthanasia in the Czech Republic contradicted international conventions on human rights and was in conflict with people’s fundamental right to live. (CeskeNoviny.cz)

Seoul, Republic of Korea, 29-30 July 2008
This Forum aims to address important bioethical issues specific in Asian cultures and discuss how bioethical principles can be translated into concrete policies in the context of Asian cultures.This Forum is being organized by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, the UNESCO Bangkok Office and the Bioethics Policy Research Center/Ewha Women’s University in Korea.

For more information, please contact: Ms Bogang Hong, bghong@unesco.or.kr / Mr Darryl Macer d.macer@unesco.org.

Speaking at the 16th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine & Regenerative Biomedical Technologies at the Gaylord National Resort in Washington, DC, on Friday, July 18, Florida-based cardiologist Dr. Zannos Grekos astounded over 200 physicians with a presentation on the impressive regenerative behavior of pre-engineered adult stem cells injected into patients with cardiomyopathy.  (MarketWatch)

A team of researchers has completed human tests of the first plant-produced vaccine for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The successful results of a phase I clinical trial suggest that plants could provide a safe, inexpensive reservoir to “grow” vaccines for the common human cancer, according to a study published tomorrow (July 22) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (The Scientist)

Human-frog hybrids might reveal the neurological secrets of autism. By fusing cells from the preserved brains of deceased autistic patients with the eggs of a carnivorous African frog called Xenopus, scientists have started investigating the way the brain cells of people with autism behave. (New Scientist)

The focus is on erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone naturally produced by the kidneys which regulates red blood cell production. When extra EPO is injected before a competition, it boosts performance by increasing the amount of red blood cells in an athlete’s body; those blood cells then carry more oxygen to the hard-working muscles. (Discover Magazine)

A project aims to convert the slew of newly identified disease-risk genes into useful medical information. (Technology Review)

Two consumer groups yesterday filed an appeal of a U.S. Patent and Trade Office ruling that said the University of Wisconsin’s Alumni Research Foundation could maintain its patents on all embryonic stem cells used in the United States. (TMCnet)

A researcher at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells following an injury, may lead to a new, non-surgical treatment for debilitating spinal-cord injuries. (PhysOrg)