January 15, 2008
Black Americans continue to distrust medical research and clinical trials, apparently a lasting legacy of the infamous Tuskegee experiment which was shut down more than three decades ago, a new study shows. (U.S.News & World Report)
January 15, 2008
These are difficult times for the FDA. At the close of 2007, a major controversy swirled around one of the agency’s core oversight functions: the protection of human subjects of clinical research. In September, the DHHS Office of Inspector General … Read More
January 15, 2008
Leading scientists have urged peers not to block the use of human-animal hybrid embryos for research. Amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill would restrict the use of such embryos, which contain a small amount of animal DNA. (BBC)
January 14, 2008
I have been warning for years that Futile Care theorists were going to become increasingly bold in attempting to impose their quality of life judgments on unwilling patients and families. A very important futility case is ongoing right now in … Read More
January 14, 2008
The embryonic stem cell/human cloning debates are not about science. They are about ethics and morality and the proper parameters, if any, to place around the incredibly powerful biotechnological sector. Some of us have long contended that the science intelligentsia … Read More
January 14, 2008
U.S. researchers have found a way to modify the surface of stem cells to direct them to where they’re needed, an advance that may prove useful in many areas of stem cell therapy. (Washington Post)
January 14, 2008
The world’s first beating, retooled “bioartificial heart” is described today in the journal Nature Medicine by University of Minnesota researchers in research that could pave the way to a new treatment for the 22 million people worldwide who live with … Read More
January 14, 2008
In a discovery that could have a far-reaching impact on the development of drugs, scientists in Karnataka’s Manipal town have for the first time found clues to how defects occur during foetal growth. (The Economic Times)
January 14, 2008
The initiative would make Washington the second state in the nation to offer such an option. Called Death with Dignity, the law would allow people who have been diagnosed with an incurable illness to take medication that would cause their … Read More
January 14, 2008
Carol L. Keefer has played a significant behind-the-scenes role in the government’s deliberations on whether to permit sales of meat and milk derived from clones. An associate professor at the University of Maryland, Keefer was one of three animal scientists … Read More
January 14, 2008
The news that Gordon Brown has thrown his weight behind a move to register everyone automatically as an organ donor unless they opt out has all the hallmarks of a major spin operation. (Daily Mail)
January 13, 2008
This animal study may pave the way for wonderful medical treatments. From the story: Scientists have created a beating heart in the laboratory in a breakthrough that could allow doctors one day to make a range of organs for transplant … Read More
January 12, 2008
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (OnlineEarly Articles) is now available. Articles Include: “Health-Protective and Adverse Effects of the Apolipoprotein E 2 Allele in Older Men” by Alexander M. Kulminski, PhD, Svetlana V. Ukraintseva, PhD, Konstantin G. Arbeev, PhD, Kenneth … Read More
January 12, 2008
This could get ugly. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has supported “presumed consent” to organ “donation.” And this in a country that also allows Futile Care Theory, particularly for those with “mental incapacities.” The danger is obvious and acute, don’t you … Read More
January 12, 2008
This morning I awoke to this very caring–yet disturbing–column (“Searching for Dignity in Old Age” published in the Tampa Tribune), awaiting perusal in my e-mail. Real estate developer Jim Dyal writes movingly of his intense grief at the increasing debility … Read More
January 11, 2008
Former Governor Booth Gardner has filed his assisted suicide legalization proposal with the Secretary of State and is out buying, er gathering, petition signatures. If the past is any clue, most media will fall over themselves to applaud the effort. … Read More
January 11, 2008
Predictive, or personalized medicine takes a different approach by looking at an individual’s genetic and physiological profile to assess risk. Genomics companies like Navigenics are trying to find clues in human genes. Others, like Tethys, say using biomarkers like proteins … Read More
January 11, 2008
The researchers collected adult muscle stem cells from boys with DMD, modified those cells with their genetic patch, and injected them into the arteries and muscles of dystrophic mice. The transplanted stem cells produced functional human dystrophin. (Nature)
January 11, 2008
Since the beginning of recorded history, competitive athletes have tried to enhance their performance in every way imaginable. Naked Greeks put on shoes. Babylonians used herbs. Kenyans trained at high altitude. American swimmers used greasy swimsuits. Marathoners loaded their bodies … Read More
January 11, 2008
Scientists at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute have developed the world’s first gene detection platform made up entirely from self-assembled DNA nanostructures. The results, appearing in the January 11 issue of the journal Science, could have broad implications for gene … Read More
January 11, 2008
Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston have developed a vaccine that may protect against cocaine addiction. The drug is still years away from FDA approval, but as with many new medical technologies, it raises some profound ethical questions … Read More
January 11, 2008
The company’s findings, and its subsequent plea to the government, represent the latest development in the controversy over creating human stem cells for research. On one side, religious groups have argued that destroying embryos to derive stem cells is tantamount … Read More
January 10, 2008
No, not a cure, but a potentially efficacious treatment to reduce symptoms and maintain cognition. The Journal of Neuroinflammation reports that fifteen Alzheimer’s patients received substantial benefit from being treated with a drug normally used to alleviate rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. … Read More
January 10, 2008
Advanced Cell Technology made huge international headlines last year by claiming to have created embryonic stem cell lines without destroying embryos. That announcement–typical of ACT PR–was way overblown. It turned out to be a modest proof of principle type experiment … Read More
January 10, 2008
Scientists eager to splice human genes with animal cells are seeking public feedback on the prospect of such controversial research, a news report said Wednesday. (Netindia123)
