April 10, 2013
Genetics: A gene of rare effect
A mutation that gives people rock-bottom cholesterol levels has led geneticists to what could be the next blockbuster heart drug. (Nature)
Monthly Archives: April 2013
April 10, 2013
Women, consider freezing your eggs
Egg freezing is the newest reproductive technology: a recently perfected form of flash-freezing that allows human eggs to be successfully stored in egg banks. Only commercially available in American IVF clinics since October 2012, when the “experimental” label was lifted, … Read More
April 10, 2013
Event: 2013 Wellcome Lecture in Neuroethics
The Oxford Center for Neuroethics & International Neuroethics Society 2013 Wellcome Lecture in Neuroethics May 1, 5:00pm-7:00pm Radcliffe Observatory Quarter Woodstock Road Oxford For more information, see here.
April 9, 2013
New separation process advances stem cell therapies
A new separation process that depends on an easily-distinguished physical difference in adhesive forces among cells could help expand production of stem cells generated through cell reprogramming. (Science Daily)
April 9, 2013
Harvard investigation of stem cell scientific misconduct provides insight into secretive process
When a former stem cell researcher at the Joslin Diabetes Center was found to have committed scientific misconduct last year, the report detailing her wrongdoing was brief and succinct. An investigation had revealed that Shane Mayack reused images from unrelated … Read More
April 9, 2013
New stem cell treatment heals arthritic dogs
Perry gave the dogs all sorts of medications, but nothing worked, and he knew such medications could result in kidney and liver damage. The dogs’ suffering became so great, Perry considered putting the pets down. But late last year he … Read More
April 9, 2013
Elderly wife ‘left to die’ after hospital put her on end-of-life programme
Mr Dunn said staff failed to tell him that his wife had been put on the end-of-life plan, only becoming aware of it when he overheard a doctor talking to a nurse. (The Telegraph)
April 9, 2013
ACMG releases statement on non-invasive prenatal screening
The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) has just released an important new Policy Statement on “Noninvasive Prenatal Screening for Fetal Aneuploidy.” (Medical Xpress)
April 9, 2013
IUDs safe contraceptives for teens, study finds
IUDs are a safe method of birth control for teens, according to a new study. (U.S. News and World Report)
April 8, 2013
Liver transplantation for patients with genetic liver conditions has high survival rate
The study is a first-of-its-kind, single-institution comparison of outcomes for both pediatric and adult patients undergoing liver transplantation for lethal genetic syndromes. Researchers found that children with genetic disorders that cause fibrosis, cirrhosis, and other liver conditions, which can affect … Read More
April 8, 2013
President announces $100 million investment into BRAIN initiative; Bioethics Commission to examine ethical considerations
Today the President announced a new $100 million investment into the BRAIN Initiative, Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies. (bioethics.gov)
April 8, 2013
In vitro eugenics
A series of recent scientific results suggest that, in the not-too-distant future, it will be possible to create viable human gametes from human stem cells. This paper discusses the potential of this technology to make possible what I call ‘in … Read More
April 8, 2013
Kansas set to enact life-starts- “at fertilization” abortion law
Kansas is set to enact one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation which defines life as beginning “at fertilization” and imposes a host of new regulations. (Reuters)
April 8, 2013
Wales measels: Parents ‘overcome MMR mistrust legacy’
Public health officials say a big increase in the demand for MMR vaccinations in south Wales suggests parents’ “legacy of mistrust” over the jab is being overcome. (BBC)
April 8, 2013
U.S. Judge widens ‘morning-after’ pill access for young girls
A federal judge on Friday ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make “morning-after” emergency contraception pills available without a prescription to all girls of reproductive age and criticized the Obama administration for interfering with the process for political … Read More
April 8, 2013
Activated during sex: The next revolution in contraception
Groundbreaking work conducted at the University of Newcastle is creating the next revolutionary contraceptive…They have developed a world first: a chemical contraceptive that kills sperm as well as the bacteria that cause sexually transmitted infections. (ABC.net.au)
April 8, 2013
Contraception mandate likely headed to Supreme Court, experts say
The number of lawsuits challenging the Obama administration’s contraception coverage mandate climbed to 60 last week, and legal experts on both sides of the issue are predicting that the Supreme Court will take up the issue within the year. (Huffington … Read More
April 8, 2013
Promising stem cell therapy for leukemia patients
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI in Leipzig are investigating how to improve the situation for leukemia sufferers. “Our goal is to avoid GvHD without changing how the new immune effect acts on the tumor,” … Read More
April 8, 2013
Defendant admits illegal organ harvesting in Kosovo
A former top Kosovo health ministry official on trial for organ trafficking on Friday admitted that illegal kidney transplants were carried out at a Pristina clinic, but denied covering them up. (AFP)
April 8, 2013
Genetic links found to ovarian cancer
After 15 years of research by 200 scientists from all over the world, their findings have been recently published.  Sellers says, “What we have found are six new genetic regions across the genome that appear to influence whether a woman … Read More
April 8, 2013
Stem cells ‘nanokicked’ to grow new bone
That is the new technique developed by a Scottish research team, a technique which could help patients with spinal injuries grow new bone. They call it “nanokicking”. It plays on the potential our bodies’ stem cells possess to turn into … Read More
April 8, 2013
Event: Ethics and Research Leadership: Paving the Path for Innovation and the Human Good
The Society of Research Administrators International and the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care Paving the Path for Innovation and the Human Good June 5-7, 2013 Tuskegee University Tuskegee, Alabama For more information, see here.
April 8, 2013
Event: 4 Day Intensive Course in Bioethics Consultation Skills
Prerequisite: The Montefiore-Einstein Certificate Program in Bioethics and Medical Humanities, or permission of instructor. Bioethics Consultation Skills May 13 and 14, June 3 and 4 Clinical Skills Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center Yeshiva University New York, … Read More
April 8, 2013
Ethics row over publishing DNA of unwitting heroine festers
The astonishing story of Henrietta Lacks, who died of cancer in 1951 but whose still living cells are now the basis for much medical research, has captivated the U.S. for the past two years — and there is no sign … Read More
April 5, 2013
National Public Health Week
Since 1995, when the first full week of April was declared National Public Health Week (NPHW), communities across the United States have observed NPHW as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important … Read More
