New web-based guide to stem cell treatments
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has a launched a new website for people considering stem cell treatments for different conditions. The ISSCR, whilst promoting basic and...
View ArticleSpit tests for bone marrow donor recruitment
Kits to take saliva samples at home and send samples for DNA analysis, already used for selected commercial applications such as paternity testing and genetic disease risk prediction, is being put to...
View ArticleLegal disputes over adult and embryonic stem cell research
A report from the European Science Foundation (ESF) released last month examines key issues in human stem cell research and regenerative medicine, which it hails as having the promise to be...
View ArticleStudy to use stem cells from Parkinson's patients
A major new study funded by Parkinson's UK will use induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells to investigate Parkinson's disease. Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disorder that affects...
View ArticleMajor UK regulators and health agencies to be scrapped
In a new review of health-related ‘arms-length bodies’ or ALBs, UK Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has announced that several major health agencies are to be scrapped in an attempt...
View ArticleRegenerative medicine and spinal cord injuries
The Technology Strategy Board, a UK governmental body responsible for driving technological innovation, has announced a total of £5 million funding to support feasibility research and...
View ArticleLoss of UK genetics public bodies confirmed
The effect of these changes is likely to hinge significantly on the nature and remit of regulatory functions as devolved between existing and new regulators. It is not clear that financial savings...
View ArticleFuture legal status of human embryos questioned
The chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), Professor Lisa Jardine, has spoken out against any future attempts to repeal the current legal protection for human embryos. The...
View ArticlePatenting of embryonic stem cell procedures found unethical
European researchers who use HES cell lines are worried that, if supported the Grand Chamber, this position will make regulators in European countries maintain or adopt correspondingly conservative...
View ArticleViews sought on emerging biotechnologies and ethical issues
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has launched a public consultation on ethical, legal, social and policy issues arising from emerging biotechnologies. The findings will feed into the work of a UK...
View ArticleUK strategy for regenerative and cellular medicine unveiled
A new government report has set out the challenges for regenerative medicine in the UK and a strategy for future development. Published by the Office for Life Sciences and the Department of Health...
View ArticleUK's first brain tumour tissue bank established
The UK’s first brain tumour tissue bank has opened in Glasgow, providing a promising new resource for research scientists. A £30,000 donation from the Brainstrust...
View ArticleGermany rules on ethics of human-animal hybrids
The German Ethics Council has issued recommendations on the use of animals containing human material (ACHM). The report on this issue reportedly takes an in-depth and philosophical view of...
View ArticleHFEA raises financial compensation for egg donors
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has announced a significant increase in the payments that can be made to donors of egg and sperm cells. From 2012, compensation...
View ArticleChimeric monkeys raise concerns for stem cell medicine
Scientists in the US have created live monkeys from a mixture of different monkey embryo cells. Published in the journal Cell, the research involved creation of chimeric rhesus monkeys from...
View ArticlePrivate cord blood banking in the NHS?
The umbilical cord blood banking company, Virgin Health Bank, has announced a new partnership with Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Trust, the first such deal between a private cord blood bank...
View ArticleFunctional liver tissue grown from stem cells
Researchers have reportedly induced stem cells to form functional liver tissue in the laboratory. The unpublished work was presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell...
View ArticleConsultation on future of HFEA and HTA opens
The government has launched a consultation on the future regulation of fertility and human tissue in the UK. The consultation considers whether, and to what degree, responsibility should pass from the...
View ArticleConcerns expressed over plans to scrap Human Tissue Authority
The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has written to ministers saying plans to disband it are opposed by stakeholders and could undermine public confidence. Baroness Diana Warwick, HTA Chair, said there...
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