Ethicists Advise Caution in Applying CRISPR Gene Editing to Humans
February 14, 2017 By Joel Achenbach The Washington Post
Ethicists have been working overtime to figure out how to handle CRISPR, the revolutionary gene-editing technique that could potentially prevent congenital diseases but could also be used for cosmetic enhancements and lead to permanent, heritable changes in the human species.
The latest iteration of this ongoing CRISPR debate is a report published Tuesday by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine. The …
Scientists Can Now Grow a Beating Human Heart from Stem Cells
Indy100.com by Louis Dore in tech January 2017
A team of scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School have used adult skin cells to regenerate functional human heart tissue.
The study, published in the journal Circulation Research, detailed that the team took adult skin cells, using a technique called messenger RNA to turn them into pluripotent stem cells, before inducing them to become two different types of cardiac cells.
Then for two weeks …
Sperm and Eggs Grown in a Petri Dish Could Revolutionise Reproduction
Michael Cook BioEdge Jan 14, 2017
The imminent arrival of eggs and sperm grown from skin cells makes legislative change imperative, three Ivy League professors argue in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
IVF was a game-changing technology, write Glenn Cohen, of Harvard Law School, George Q. Daley, of Harvard Medical School, and Eli Y. Adashi, of Brown University, but IVG – in vitro gametogenesis – could revolutionise reproduction.
Although at the moment IVG has …
NCER speaks out on CRISPR/Cas9 (Video)
Hear what Nebraska Coalition for Ethical Research has to say on the latest in gene editing and its use via CRISPR/Cas9.…
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 …
World’s First Baby Born with Controversial New ‘Three-Parent’ Technique
The Independant Ian Johnston Science Correspondent Tuesday 27 September 2016
The world’s first child created using a controversial “three-parent” baby technique has been born in Mexico, it has been announced.
Limited details about the birth were revealed ahead of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s scientific congress in Salt Lake City next month, where it will be discussed more fully.
According to critics, the procedure is tantamount to genetic modification of humans or even “playing …
Written Testimony of David A. Prentice, Ph.D.: Update on Progress of Kansas’ Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center Research
Charlotte Lozier Institute Aug 2016
On February 8, 2016, Dr. David Prentice, Ph.D. briefed legislators in multiple Kansas state Senate and House committees on the progress of the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center (MSCTC). The Kansas stem cell center is focused on patients, with an emphasis on therapy, dissemination of information, and comprehensive view to fulfilling its mission. The MSCTC only works with non-controversial stem cell sources—adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells; …
To the Brink and Back, A Story of Recovering from Cancer Using an Adult Stem Cell Transplant
Charlotte Lozier Institute Aug 10, 2016
Today the Charlotte Lozier Institute releases its fourth Stem Cell Research Facts video; this story features Cindy Schroeder’s recovery from multiple myeloma after an adult stem cell transplant.
Cindy Schroeder had always lived an active life. A wife, mother of three, and special education teacher, Cindy drove more than 150 miles each day from school to school before returning home. Her life changed, however, when she began experiencing a …