November 23, 2007
The word “breakthrough” is often used when talking about the newest drug or the next treatment in cancer research. But in dozens of university labs and spin-off companies, the phrase “science fiction” might be a better fit. Behind these doors, … Read More
November 23, 2007
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have taken a small but significant step, in mouse studies, toward the goal of transplanting adult stem cells to create a new immune system for people with autoimmune or genetic blood diseases. … Read More
November 23, 2007
Scientists have said a major breakthrough this week in stem-cell research could have an impact on the ongoing debate over embryonic stem-cell use in Germany, where restrictions are particularly tight. (Deutsche Welle)
November 23, 2007
Thousands of patients with arthritis and multiple sclerosis are given new hope today by scientists who have developed a way to alter the immune system. Both conditions are caused when the immune system becomes faulty and attacks the body. Scientists … Read More
November 23, 2007
Random and frequent cellular deactivation of one of two gene copies could potentially change a genetic outcome. New research shows that cells often randomly deactivate one of a pair of gene copies or alleles, one of which they get from … Read More
November 23, 2007
An antidepressant used in humans can extend the life span of tiny worms by about 30 percent, according to a new finding that has intrigued scientists who study aging. (NPR All Things Considered)
November 23, 2007
Illegal abortions are still taking place in the UK, a BBC undercover investigation has discovered. (BBC NEWS)
November 22, 2007
As we celebrate the creation and potential of induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, adult stem cell research continues to bear fruit in animal and human studies. The latest is a truly exciting find out of Stanford University: Blood stem cells taken … Read More
November 22, 2007
If the stem cell wars are indeed nearly over, no one will savor the peace more than James A. Thomson. Dr. Thomson’s laboratory at the University of Wisconsin was one of two that in 1998 plucked stem cells from human … Read More
November 21, 2007
The NRO has published a mini-symposium containing the views of William Hurlbut, Jennifer Lahl (of the CBC), Carter Snead, and other notable commentators about the great stem cell breakthrough. They are all worth reading. But I thought Leon Kass’s perspective … Read More
November 21, 2007
On Tuesday, two scientific journals announced news of a breakthrough that could put an end to our dead-end political debates about stem-cell research. In response to the news, National Review Online asked a group of experts: How big is Tuesday’s … Read More
November 21, 2007
Supporters and opponents of embryonic stem-cell research agree that the new development is exciting, but they disagree on whether the findings should spell the end of such research. (NPR)
November 21, 2007
It has been more than six years since President Bush, in the first major televised address of his presidency, drew a stark moral line against the destruction of human embryos in medical research. Since then, he has steadfastly maintained that … Read More
November 21, 2007
In a paper to be published Nov. 22 in the online edition of the journal Science, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers reports the genetic reprogramming of human skin cells to create cells indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells. The … Read More
November 21, 2007
Australia is moving away from controversial therapeutic cloning on the back of major international stem cell work that could bypass the need for embryos to be destroyed. Two separate teams of researchers from the United States and Japan have announced … Read More
November 21, 2007
Today’s papers bring news of an enormous advance in stem-cell research. Scientists in the United States and Japan have managed to turn regular human skin cells into the equivalent of embryonic stem cells — achieving what they’ve sought until now … Read More
November 20, 2007
A new biotech company, 23andMe.com, has opened its doors in Silicon Valley. 23andMe offers a genetic profiling service to anyone willing to pay the $999 lab fee and provide a sample of cells from their saliva (much like many of … Read More
November 20, 2007
The out-of-pocket cost of caring for an aging parent or spouse averages $5,531 a year, according to the nation’s first in-depth study of such expenses, a sum that is more than double previous estimates and more than the average American … Read More
November 20, 2007
A recent study on the effects of a hypertension drug in African Americans has shone the spotlight on the value of single race studies in medicine. While some praise such studies for reaching out to groups disproportionately affected by a … Read More
November 20, 2007
New technologies that allow scientists to trace the fine wiring of the brain more accurately than ever before could soon generate a complete wiring diagram–including every tiny fiber and miniscule connection–of a piece of brain. Dubbed connectomics, these maps could … Read More
November 19, 2007
Why don’t the American media report these stories (as if I didn’t know)? A new experimental gene therapy treatment seems to alleviate symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. From the Telegraph story: Evidence that a breakthrough has been achieved in gene therapy … Read More
November 19, 2007
The 2003 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, which set out a legislative framework for the National Nanotechnology Initiative, is up for re-authorization. This process offers a unique opportunity to those who have raised concerns about the implementation (and … Read More
November 19, 2007
For much of the past decade, the retailing behemoth Wal-Mart Stores has been associated with stingy health care as much as low prices. Across the country, politicians and labor groups derided the company’s health plans for their high expense and … Read More
November 18, 2007
The cultural ethic of “choice ubber alles” is growing increasingly radical. We have seen previously, that a few bioethicists have advocated that doctors be permitted to cut off healthy limbs of people suffering from Body Identity Integrity Disorder (BIID), also … Read More
November 18, 2007
The debate over how to overhaul the nation’s health-care system is underscoring a dramatic chasm between the two parties, as Democrats battle over which candidate will most quickly expand health insurance to cover all Americans while GOP contenders compete over … Read More
