Is There a Last-Minute Hitch With 3-Parent Embryo Trials?
December 11, 2016 BioEdge Michael Cook
Just as scientists in the UK are about to begin clinical trials with three-parent embryos, a study in Nature asserts that it may not work for some patients.
The technique is intended to help women who are carriers of mitochondrial disease to give birth to healthy children. The nuclear DNA is removed from an egg cell, leaving the diseased mitochondria behind; then the DNA is inserted into another woman’s …
CRISPR Used for First Time to Correct Clotting in Newborn and Adult Mice
Nov 30, 2016 Science Daily University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
CRISPR/Cas9, a powerful genome editing tool, is showing promise for efficient correction of disease-causing mutations. For the first time, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a dual gene therapy approach to deliver key components of a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene targeting system to mice to treat hemophilia B. This disorder is also called factor IX deficiency and …
Row Over Allowing Research on 28-Day Embryos
The Guardian Dec 4, 2016 Robin McKie, Science Editor
Scientists will make a controversial call this week to extend the current 14-day limit for carrying out experiments on human embryos to 28 days. The move follows recent breakthroughs that have allowed researchers to double the time embryos can be kept alive in the laboratory.
By extending the current research period, major insights into congenital conditions, heart disease and some cancers could be gained, they will …