Scientists in Britain have applied for permission to genetically modify human embryos as part of a research project into the earliest stages of human development.
Tag: embryos
Human Embryo Gene Modification ‘Essential’ For Research, Expert Group Says
It is “essential” to allow genetic modification of human embryos as the research can provide much needed answers to several important scientific questions, the Hinxton Group, an international group of scientists and policy experts, said, in a statement released Thursday. The statement comes in the wake of a gene modifying experiment recently conducted by Chinese scientists, which triggered a debate over the ethics of genetic therapies.
Frozen Embryos As Successful As Fresh Embryos In IVF
IVF cycles using embryos that have been frozen and thawed are just as successful as fresh embryos according to a new UNSW report.
Male Seahorses Act Like Pregnant Mammals, Study Suggests
Pregnant male seahorses tend to develop embryos similarly to the way mammals do, new research shows.
Why Do Men Have Nipples? ‘Female Blueprint’ During Embryonic Development Gives Men Breast Tissue, Milk Lines
Every day we are clouded with life’s imponderables, such as “Why do men have nipples?” In women, the purpose of nipples is to deliver infant milk produced in the female mammary glands during lactation, but what is the purpose of nipples on men if they can’t breastfeed infants? In BrainStuff’s YouTube video, “Why Do Men Have Nipples?” host Cristen explains the reason why breast tissue develops in human embryos of both sexes and why mice are much more advanced, evolution-wise.
European Court Upholds Italy Law Against Embryo Research
Thursday (August 27) saw the European Court of Human Rights uphold an Italian law against the donation of human embryos for scientific research.
New Embryo Image Processing Technology Could Assist in IVF Implantation Success Rates
A collaboration between biologists and engineers at Monash University has led to the development of a new non-invasive image processing technique to visualise embryo formation. Researchers were able to see, for the first time, the movement of all of the cells in living mammalian embryos as they develop under the microscope. This breakthrough has important implications for IVF (in vitro fertilisation) treatments and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).
After A Divorce, What Happens To A Couple’s Frozen Embryos?
Soon after their wedding, Dr. Mimi Lee and Stephen Findley decided to create five embryos. Lee had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and she worried that treatment would leave her infertile. Now that they’re divorced, Lee wants to use them; Findley, however, does not.
Fertility Clinics Let You Select Your Baby’s Sex
Women who want to select their baby’s sex undergo the costly and cumbersome process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) to create embryos that are also genetically tested before being implanted. Although the testing, broadly referred to as preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, is often used to test for genetic diseases, it can also identify the sex of the embryos. The IVF/PGD process can cost as much as $15,000 to $20,000 a cycle and isn’t covered by many insurance plans.
Defective Sperm ‘Rescued’ in Fertility Treatment Study
Researchers from Cardiff University have successfully demonstrated that a previously identified ‘kick-starter’ protein can ‘rescue’ defective sperm and be used to create healthy embryos in animal models.