March 25, 2013
A clinical trial using a patient’s own immune system to produce remissions in adults with acute leukemia could be a major breakthrough in the fight against all different kinds of cancer. (ABC News)
March 25, 2013
North Dakota became the first state on Friday to pass a fetal personhood amendment, which grants legal personhood rights to embryos from the moment of fertilization. The state House of Representatives voted 57 to 35 to pass the amendment, after … Read More
March 25, 2013
A European Union prosecutor has filed more charges against seven Kosovars on trial over an illegal kidney trafficking scheme, while alleging that the key suspects consulted with top government officials on plans to perform the transplants. (Huffington Post)
March 25, 2013
And now, with the release of The Healing Cell: How the Greatest Revolution in Medical History Is Changing Your Life, the Catholic Church has given its stamp of approval on adult stem cell research by discussing the many ways these … Read More
March 25, 2013
An 18th Century automaton that could beat human chess opponents seemingly marked the arrival of artificial intelligence. But what turned out to be an elaborate hoax had its own sense of genius, says Adam Gopnik. (BBC)
March 22, 2013
More than 50,000 stem cell transplants are performed each year worldwide. A research team led by Weill Cornell Medical College investigators may have solved a major issue of expanding adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) outside the human body for clinical … Read More
March 22, 2013
Special issue of Translational Research is devoted to the topic of the gene therapy. (Eurekalert)
March 22, 2013
A comprehensive review finds that a woman’s ability to control her own fertility is good for women — and society. (Salon)
March 22, 2013
Viewing patients as consumers may be detrimental to the doctor-patient relationship. While it facilitates an emphasis on respect for patient autonomy, it inadvertently results in the commodification of health care. The new legislative environment in South Africa promotes the protection … Read More
March 22, 2013
Placebo use is common in primary care but questions remain about their benefits, harms, costs, and whether they can be delivered ethically. Further research is required to investigate ethically acceptable and cost-effective placebo interventions. (PLoS One)
March 22, 2013
Dying patients are happier, less depressed, have less pain and survive longer when their end-of-life care wishes are known and followed, researchers report. (U.S. News and World Report)
March 22, 2013
Is transhumanism—the possibility of enhancing human intellectual, physical and psychological capacities through biotechnology —a brave new world that we should welcome with open arms? (Forbes)
March 22, 2013
In a new discovery that represents a major step in solving a critical design challenge, Arizona State University Professor Hao Yan has led a research team to produce a wide variety of 2-D and 3-D structures that push the boundaries … Read More
March 22, 2013
BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTC Institute) and Promega Corporation 12th Annual Bioethics Forum: Creative Insight: Further Studies in Human Consciousness April 25-26, 2013 Madison, WI For more information, see their press release.
March 21, 2013
Heart stem cell therapy after a major heart attack holds the promise of helping to repair severely damaged cells by encouraging the growth of new ones. However, the process – which involves infusing healthy stem cells into the heart to … Read More
March 21, 2013
Forcing sick patients to suffer through painful, agonizing deaths without the ability to ask a doctor to help them end their lives is akin to “torture,” a lawyer told the British Columbia Court of Appeal on Wednesday as he argued … Read More
March 21, 2013
National survey finds three out of four adults have heard little or nothing about the emerging technology. (Sacramento Bee) Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/20/5277336/synthetic-biology-remains-a-mystery.html#storylink=cpy
March 21, 2013
Researchers reported fresh evidence Wednesday that using gene therapy to manipulate the immune system is emerging as a promising new strategy in the fight against cancer. (Wall Street Journal)
March 21, 2013
Contrary to popular wisdom, many men say they would gladly take a male version of the birth control pill to thwart unwanted pregnancies, so long as potential side effects are tolerable. Researchers continue to work on a male version of … Read More
March 21, 2013
A new wonder material that can generate hydrogen, produce clean water and even create energy. (Nanowerk)
March 21, 2013
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised the government that there is no evidence the advanced forms of IVF were unsafe. The fertility regulator’s public consultation also showed “general support” for the idea as the benefits outweighed the … Read More
March 20, 2013
According to China’s health ministry, 336 million abortions have been performed since the country instituted its one-child policy in 1971. How do researchers count abortions? (Slate)
March 20, 2013
Genetic testing may help identify women at risk for certain types of breast cancer, according to a new study. (U.S. News and World Report)
March 20, 2013
In a report released today, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues concluded that the federal government would have to take multiple steps before anthrax vaccine trials with children could be ethically considered. (Eurekalert)
March 20, 2013
Research led by a biology professor in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has uncovered a method to produce retinal cells from regenerative human stem cells without the use of animal products, proteins or other foreign … Read More
