IVF News
IVF News
HFEA asks scientists for advice on mitochondrial disease treatment
Regulators have been asked to consider the science and the disputed ethics of whether existing laws should be relaxed to allow a fertility treatment that would enable children to be born without potentially devastating, incurable mitochondrial diseases....
Event Review: Stem Cell Therapies - Where Are We?
Stem cell research is one of the most exciting areas of 21st Century science. If offers potentially revolutionary ways to repair diseased and damaged body tissues by replacing them with healthy cells. But how close are we to bringing such therapies to the clinic?...
Donating eggs and sperm: you will have your say
One of the things that makes working at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) extremely worthwhile is we address topics that matter to many different people and groups. Unsurprisingly, there are many shades of opinion about the issues. Often, these views extend to passing judgement on our general competence and performance. The Government's proposals about the future of arm's-length bodies have added piquancy to this strand of public discussion...
Cells grown in lab could help research into Alzheimer's disease
Scientists at Northwestern University, Chicago have transformed stem cells into a key type of brain cell that dies early in Alzheimer's disease. Their findings will allow scientists to study what causes the cells to die in Alzheimer's, potentially paving the way for new treatments....
Keep trying for IVF success, new study suggests
Researchers from the University of Western Australia have published a study suggesting IVF effectiveness could be improved by undergoing more cycles....
US stem cell funding saga rumbles on
The US courts are currently attempting to decide whether human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research may continue to receive federal funding, after a lawsuit was brought against the US Government last year....
NHS Medway suspends IVF funding
NHS Medway in Kent, South East England, has joined several other trusts in suspending funding for new referrals for IVF treatment until the new financial year when the decision will be reviewed....
Fetal DNA scanned for disease
Scientists have scanned the entire DNA of an unborn child from the mother's blood sample for the first time to safely check for genetic disorders...
Mice bred with two dads
American researchers have for the first time created mice with genetically two male parents. In a three-step process, utilising stem cell technology to create induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS)...
Wales pioneers genetic testing for heart condition
A genetic testing service to identify people with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is being rolled out across Wales. The service follows two successful FH testing pilots - one in England and one in Wales...
Imaging IVF embryos can predict survival
US researchers have developed a means to predict which human embryos produced through IVF are most likely to result in healthy births. Researchers filmed 242 one-cell embryos and predicted, with more than 93 percent accuracy, those that would survive up to five days. These findings may improve the success rate of IVF....
Vatican official criticises Nobel Prize for IVF pioneer
A Vatican official has criticised the decision to award British IVF pioneer Professor Robert Edwards the Nobel Prize in Medicine, saying the choice was 'very perplexing'...
Elusive Nobel prize finally lands!
Professor Robert Edwards was last week awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on IVF [1]. Bob might seem an obvious award candidate since IVF and related treatments are taken for granted nowadays. Most of us know family, friends and/or colleagues who have used IVF, PGD, surrogacy or gamete donation. During the lonely days of the 1960s and 70s, the situation was very different...
Study finds gene linked to male infertility
A study has shown that mutations in the NR5A1 gene may be responsible for many unexplained cases of male infertility....
Fertile and infertile sperm could soon easily be distinguished
German researchers have developed a new way of measuring the quality of human sperm cells by creating a chemical 'signature'...
Consent agreements for cryopreserved embryos: the case for choice
Embryos created by IVF (in vitro fertilisation) can be cryopreserved (stored) for possible future use. All couples who have embryos stored in the UK are currently bound by law to a single form of agreement, allowing each genetic parent to withdraw consent at any time before the embryo is transferred. This article makes the case for allowing an alternative consent agreement...
IVF twins born to first-time mum aged 62
A 62-year old Bulgarian woman has reportedly become the country's oldest first-time mother to give birth to twins after IVF (in vitro fertilisation) treatment. 'Age was not an obstacle for me, I so much wanted to have children', said Krasimira Dimitrova from the Northern city of Ruse, who sought treatment with IVF after Bulgarian authorities refused to allow her to adopt a baby, on account of her age....
Consent for embryo creation and storage: time for a change in the law?
When Natallie Evans lost her case to prevent the destruction of her embryos in 2007, many people were moved by her plight. The letter of the law had been followed, but with tragic consequences for her...
New fees boost single-embryo transfer
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) announced last week that it will change the way it charges clinics for IVF....
Canadian fertility law 'a farce', says clinician
Canada's fertility licensing and regulatory body, Assisted Human Reproduction Canada (AHRC), has come under fire from lawyers and doctors who are finding the country's fertility laws vague and uncertain, the National Post newspaper reports...
Genetic clue to living the high life
Two genes that help adapt the human body to high-altitude living have been identified by a study published in Science this month. The study may help scientists understand heart and lung disease where patients have decreased oxygen levels...
Stem cell progress towards treating deafness
US Scientists have produced mouse inner ear hair cells using stem cells, paving the way for a cure for deafness and other related balance disorders...
Multiple Sclerosis stem cell therapy trialled
A clinical trial investigating the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using bone marrow stem cells has produced encouraging results, researchers at Bristol University have reported....
Neanderthal genome sequenced
Neanderthals are our closest evolutionary relative, a study published in the journal Science has found...
HFEA squeezes multiple birth limit to 20 per cent
The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has set a 20 per cent maximum multiple birth rate for fertility clinics. Last year's maximum rate - the first since the HFEA's multiple births policy was introduced - was 24 percent. The new rate will become effective from 6 April 2010....
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