Bioethics News and Research

RSS

Mystery surrounds gene edited babies one year on

A year back Chinese scientist He Jiankui was in the news for all the wrong reasons. He had helped create the world’s first genetically edited human babies. After a year the world is still in dark about the whereabouts and health of the babies he had created and he himself has been not seen since January this year.

27 Nov 2019

Women treated for early-stage breast cancer may develop invasive breast cancer

New research in the November 2019 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network examines the implications of invasive breast cancer after breast-conserving treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (aka DCIS, a form of non-invasive breast cancer) and which factors could impact overall survival.

25 Nov 2019

NIH offers support to address ethical challenges associated with clinical research advances

With support from the National Institutes of Health's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, scientists are developing powerful new devices and technologies to monitor and regulate brain activity.

18 Oct 2019

Rapid progress in brain organoid research prompts ethical debate

A new paper has tried to address the ethical debate surrounding human organoids by evaluating the potential risks of creating “humanized” animals

4 Oct 2019

Patients would like to be asked before using medical data for research

With electronic medical records creating an ideal source of data to inform quality care and new discovery, a key question emerges: How much say should patients have in how their data is used?

4 Oct 2019

How moral distress leads to erosion of clinicians' moral strength in health care systems

Nurse burnout impacts both nurses and patients, and significantly influences the retention of nurses in the healthcare setting, research shows. But could burnout be a symptom of something larger?

23 Sep 2019

“Mini Brains” in the lab show electrical activity similar to a preemie’s brain

Researchers have developed successfully mini brains in the labs which are essentially a cluster of brain cells perfused in fluids. These brain tissues are now showing electrical activity akin to real brain, explain the researchers and this is a path-breaking development in brain research.

29 Aug 2019

Machine learning reveals links between genetic factors and behavior

Researchers have used machine learning to start making links between seemingly instinctive, random behaviors and genetic factors.

15 Aug 2019

Superstar athletes popularize unproven stem cell procedures

Baseball superstar Max Scherzer — whose back injury has prevented him from pitching for the Washington Nationals since he last played on July 25 — is the latest in a long list of professional athletes to embrace unproven stem cell injections in an attempt to accelerate their recovery.

5 Aug 2019

Many women skip scientific conferences because of family obligations, study finds

For oncologists in the beginning of their career, scientific conferences present an opportunity to network, share their research, gain new knowledge and begin to advance in their career. But many women find themselves skipping these conferences because of family obligations, a new study finds.

18 Jul 2019

New tool promotes greater sharing of clinical trial data by pharmaceutical companies

A tool developed by researchers at Yale, Stanford, and Bioethics International can promote greater sharing of clinical trial data by pharmaceutical companies.

10 Jul 2019

In secret, seniors discuss ‘rational suicide’

Ten residents slipped away from their retirement community one Sunday afternoon for a covert meeting in a grocery store cafe. They aimed to answer a taboo question: When they feel they have lived long enough, how can they carry out their own swift and peaceful death?

25 Jun 2019

Miracle machine makes heroic rescues — and leaves patients in limbo

The latest miracle machine in modern medicine — whose use has skyrocketed in recent years — is saving people from the brink of death: adults whose lungs have been ravaged by the flu; a trucker who was trapped underwater in a crash; a man whose heart had stopped working for an astonishing seven hours.

18 Jun 2019

New research explores foundational questions about end-of-life choices for people with dementia

As the American population ages and dementia is on the rise, The Hastings Center is embarking on pathbreaking research to explore foundational questions associated with the dementia trajectory and the concerns of persons facing this terminal condition.

8 Jun 2019

National Endowment for the Humanities funds new Hastings Center project on disability and technology

People with disabilities are experts at navigating a world that is not built for them - often by turning to technologies such as voice recognition devices and cochlear implants.

16 May 2019

Security cameras installed in nursing homes may do more harm than good

For many people who care for aging parents, one solution is a safe, responsible nursing home. But an increasingly common means of ensuring that safety -- security cameras installed by relatives -- may do more harm than good, says Clara Berridge, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Washington.

8 May 2019

Hasting center publishes new articles on Federal Right to Try, Citizen Science and Gamification

Many patients with terminal or serious illness who have exhausted their treatment options want access to experimental therapies they hope will help them.

26 Apr 2019

Groundbreaking experiment in pigs challenges the notion about brain damage

The brain is more resilient than previously thought. In a groundbreaking experiment published in this week's issue of Nature, neuroscientists created an artificial circulation system that successfully restored some functions and structures in donated pig brains--up to four hours after the pigs were butchered at a USDA food processing facility.

19 Apr 2019

Scientists revive pig brain cells four hours after death, providing hope for stroke patients

In a breakthrough research study, scientists at Yale University have restored cellular activity in the brains of dead pigs.

18 Apr 2019

Lethal plans: When seniors turn to suicide in long-term care

When Larry Anders moved into the Bay at Burlington nursing home in late 2017, he wasn't supposed to be there long. At 77, the stoic Wisconsin machinist had just endured the death of his wife of 51 years and a grim new diagnosis: throat cancer, stage 4.

9 Apr 2019