November 30, 2018
(STAT News) – We can convene as many international summits to discuss the ethics of using genome altering technologies on humans as we like, but we are fooling ourselves to think that they are anything more than window dressing when … Read More
November 29, 2018
(New Scientist) – He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who claims to have created the world’s first genetically-edited babies, says another may be on the way. Speaking at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing at the University of Hong Kong … Read More
November 28, 2018
(Newsweek) – By the end of this century, about 157 million people will owe their lives to assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF, donor eggs and surrogacy. Denmark now has the highest proportion of babies born through assisted reproductive technology … Read More
November 28, 2018
(The Atlantic) – In contrast, He’s team disabled a normal gene in an attempt to reduce the risk of a disease that neither child had—and one that can be controlled. There are already ways of preventing fathers from passing HIV … Read More
November 28, 2018
(STAT News) – For someone who has caused a worldwide uproar over what many fellow scientists consider an ethical outrage, He Jiankui of China spent a remarkable amount of time discussing his work — which he claims led to the … Read More
November 27, 2018
(The Verge) – A Chinese researcher claims to have created the world’s first gene-edited babies, a move bioethicists say is the latest example of how gene-editing technology is advancing faster than regulation. If true, this experiment could have worldwide effects … Read More
November 27, 2018
(CNN) – An initial investigation by the hospital said that signatures on He’s ethics review form are suspected to be forged. The hospital has never convened an ethics committee meeting on it, according to a statement on its WeChat account, … Read More
November 26, 2018
(Nature) – A Chinese scientist claims that he has helped make the world’s first genome-edited babies — twin girls who were born this month. The announcement has provoked shock, and some outrage, among scientists around the world. He Jiankui, a … Read More
November 26, 2018
(STAT News) – A Chinese researcher claims that he helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies — twin girls born this month whose DNA he said he altered with a powerful new tool capable of rewriting the very blueprint … Read More
November 21, 2018
(The Guardian) – In the US it’s a very different picture. Restrictive laws about what can be done in embryo and stem-cell research using federal funding sit alongside a largely unregulated, laissez-faire private sector, including IVF clinics. PGD to select … Read More
November 20, 2018
(The Guardian) – Human rights groups are calling on Canada to end the coerced sterilization of indigenous women, as a growing number of victims seek to join a class action lawsuit against government and medical professionals. At least 60 women … Read More
November 19, 2018
(Medical Xpress) – Recent announcements by two biotechnology companies have stoked fears that designer babies could soon be an option for those who can afford to pick and choose which features they want for their offspring. The companies, MyOme and … Read More
November 16, 2018
(New Scientist) – THE prospect of creating intelligent designer babies has been the subject of ethical debate for decades, but we have lacked the ability to actually do it. That may now change, thanks to a new method of testing … Read More
November 12, 2018
(Al Jazeera) – Japan has more than seven million disabled people. This year, the government increased employment quotas for disabled people. Employees with a disability must now make up 2.5 percent of the public sector workforce and 2.2 percent in … Read More
October 31, 2018
(Quartz) – Robert Plomin is no stranger to controversy. It comes with the territory, he tells me, for someone who has spent over four decades studying the role genetics play in making us who we are. That question is at … Read More
October 24, 2018
(MIT Technology Review) – Advocates of sociogenomics envision a prospect that not everyone will find entirely benevolent: health “report cards,” based on your genome and handed out at birth, that predict your risk of various diseases and propensity for different … Read More
October 22, 2018
(MIT Technology Review) – All embryo testing does fit the “designer” label in one important way, however: it is not available to everybody. Matthew and Olivia opted in to what is a quiet but significant trend. Although the number of … Read More
October 22, 2018
(The Conversation) – Many people can vividly remember being 18 and tentatively opening that envelope containing crucial information about the future. On the surface, it’s strange to think that genes have anything to do with it – but our new … Read More
October 17, 2018
(The Atlantic) – A new video from Jill Rosenbaum at Retro Report, in association with American Experience, premiering on The Atlantic today, depicts some major bioethics quandaries that have resulted from advances in genetic screening technology. With prenatal and carrier … Read More
October 16, 2018
(The Guardian) – If eggs and thus IVF embryos could be produced easily and in large numbers, says Greely, that could change the landscape of assisted conception when combined with the option of genetic screening. This can be done ever … Read More
October 8, 2018
(STAT News) – Nearly 40 years after surgeons first operated on fetuses to cure devastating abnormalities, researchers have taken the first step toward curing genetic disease before birth via genome editing: scientists reported on Monday that they used the genome … Read More
October 5, 2018
(Genome Web) – Some prospective parents are looking beyond genetic testing to determine whether their children might inherit disease-causing mutations to explore their chances of inheriting aesthetic traits like eye color, leading to ethical questions, the Wall Street Journal reports. … Read More
October 3, 2018
(Nature) – Japan has issued draft guidelines that allow the use of gene-editing tools in human embryos. The proposal was released by an expert panel representing the country’s health and science ministries on 28 September. Although the country regulates the … Read More
September 26, 2018
(The Conversation) – The Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) is being fully introduced on the NHS this year, as a safe method of detecting Down’s Syndrome and other genetic conditions. But it has been internationally available from private providers for a … Read More
September 25, 2018
(The Conversation) – Felicity Boardman: The birth of a child with genetic disease is generally an unexpected event. The parents of these children typically won’t have a family history with the condition, or even be aware that they are genetic … Read More
