Two consultations have been launched this week into what has been called the ‘three parent embryo’ technique for eradicating diseases caused by genetic mutations in the mitochondria of cells. Both the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics will be […]
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Seven reasons to be wary of British scientists’ call for expert body to advise on animal-human hybrids
British scientists have said today that a new expert body should be formed to regulate experiments mixing animal and human DNA to make sure no medical or ethical boundaries are crossed. In a new report scientists at the Academy of Medical Sciences are claiming that […]
More hype about three-parent embryos – don’t hold your breath about the promises of new therapies
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has asked the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to assess a controversial fertility treatment. The ‘three-parent IVF’ technique developed at Newcastle University (on which I commented last April) involves creating a fertilized egg in a laboratory, then removing its nucleus and […]
Three parent embryos? Calm down all!
The papers this morning are full of reports that researchers at Newcastle University have successfully produced ‘three parent’ embryos as a first step to preventing maternally transmitted mitochondrial disease. There are about 50 different known mitochondrial diseases which are passed on in genes coded by […]