Fertilization News and Research

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First license to begin research involving therapeutic cloning

A special licensing committee of the UK Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority (HFEA) met on June 16 in London to decide whether to grant a license to scientists at The Center for Life at Newcastle University.

20 Jun 2004

Application from the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life to make human embryonic stem cells

The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) is currently considering a licence application from the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life to make human embryonic stem cells using cell nuclear transfer - a technique also known as therapeutic cloning.

16 Jun 2004

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority reviews the first request by British scientists to clone human embryos today

The Newcastle University team plans to use stem cells from cloned embryos to treat diabetes. The pending decision could potentially open up new possibilities for the treatment of incurable diseases, as well as dividing the British scientific community as many believe therapeutic cloning to be unethical.

16 Jun 2004

Conflicting views on embryonic and adult stem cells complicate research in stem cell therapeutics

Though there has been considerable biological and political debate over the use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) vs. adult stem cells (ASCs) as therapies for tissue engineering and organ transplants, inherent benefits and drawbacks in both techniques compel them to coexist and complement each other.

10 Jun 2004

New British guidelines to protect the safety of frozen sperm, eggs and embryos

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, UK has announced strict new guidelines to protect the safety of frozen sperm, eggs and embryos stored at fertility clinics throughout the UK.

10 Jun 2004

Genes that allow nerve cells to communicate may have come from bacteria eons ago

Some of the genes that allow nerve cells and some other types of cells to send elaborate chemical messages to each other appear to have been transferred to animals or their immediate ancestors from bacteria eons ago.

2 Jun 2004

More likely that older IVF mothers will suffer a pregnancy loss

It is a widely known that, as women age, it becomes more difficult for them to become pregnant. In a study from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, researchers documented that it is also increasingly more likely that older IVF mothers will suffer a pregnancy loss, most often due to cytogenetic abnormalities of the fetus.

27 May 2004

Father's sperm packs more than just a fertilizer

The major function of a man's sperm was fertilization, scientists once thought. True, sperm contains the father's chromosomes; but new studies from Wayne State University show that RNAs critically important to early growth of an embryo are also delivered.

13 May 2004

10 years of IVF procedures show frozen sperm as good as fresh

A review of the past ten years of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedures at the Mayo Clinic revealed equivalent outcomes between frozen and fresh sperm for oocyte insemination, according to a new study unveiled today at the AUA’s Annual Scientific Meeting.

12 May 2004

Protein in the male reproductive tract is a potent anti-bacterial agent

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that a protein they discovered three years ago in the male reproductive tract is a potent anti-bacterial agent.

6 May 2004

Embryo testing could produce babies who might aid sick siblings

Parents with a child requiring stem cell transplantation can have genetic testing done on embryos prior to implantation to determine if the tissue type matches and the ensuing offspring could potentially serve as a donor to the affected child, according to a study in the May 5 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

5 May 2004

Latest research on obesity, diabetes, hormone replacement therapy to be presented

From reviewing the latest trends and clinical research in the field of endocrinology to debating the nation's obesity epidemic and the ethnic disparities in health care, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists' (AACE) Thirteenth Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress will highlight the current revolution in endocrinology.

29 Apr 2004

Dolly the sheeps creators harbour no desire to clone humans

The Scottish institute that cloned Dolly the sheep wants to clone human embryos to study motor neurone disease.

21 Apr 2004

Infertile couples may be unaware of multiple birth risks

Multiple births -- twins, triplets or more babies in one pregnancy -- have more risks of infant death and long-term disabilities such as cerebral palsy than births of single babies do. However, many couples seeking infertility treatments desire multiples and have poor knowledge particularly about the risks for twins, a University of Iowa study reported.

20 Apr 2004

Human cloning on a grand scale could spell the end of the species as we all become nastier

Human cloning on a grand scale could spell the end of the species as we all become nastier, warn researchers at the University of Sussex.

20 Apr 2004

First IVF embryo research licenses issued in Australia

Australia’s first licences allowing research using excess human embryos were issued today by the Embryo Research Licensing Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council, (The NHMRC Licensing Committee).

17 Apr 2004

New information on genetic shuffling before egg or sperm formation rewrites genetic theory

Key decisions in the genetic shuffling that occurs before eggs or sperm are formed are made earlier than thought, rewriting textbook genetics, according to recent papers from researchers at UC Davis, Harvard University and UC San Diego.

16 Apr 2004

IVF improvements in United States

Since its introduction in the United States, assisted reproduction technology has helped allow women to conceive more than a million babies.

16 Apr 2004

Genetic mutation raises interesting questions about the evolution of the Y chromosome

The names and dates comprising a family tree contain branches that can extend backward centuries in time. People use these diagrams to discover their ancestral origin. Scientists use them to study the genealogical origins of entire species, tracing evolutionary history down to changes in a single gene.

14 Apr 2004

Growth hormones combat Crohn’s disease, cardiac disorders and improve fertility in invitro fertilisation

New treatments for breast cancer, skin and wound healing and obesity will be revealed at an international conference in Cairns, Australia next week.

13 Apr 2004