News - Announcements

Référendum italien : Le Pape soutient l'abstention (31.5.2005)
Hier, lundi 30 mai, le Pape Benoît XVI a félicité les évêques italiens pour leur position à propos du référendum concernant la procréation médicalement assistée.

Study calms fears over stem cells (31.5.2005)
Human embryonic stem cells appear to be much more stable than scientists had feared, research suggests.

First frozen egg baby born in Canada (30.5.2005)
Montreal - The McGill University Health Center (MUHC) in Montreal is pleased to announce the first successful birth in Canada resulting from frozen eggs.

Israel allows sex selection of embryos for non-medical reasons (28.5.2005)
Israeli parents who have at least four children of the same sex and want one of the other sex can now apply to a health ministry committee for approval of preimplantation genetic diagnosis at their own expense.

UK and Korean teams refine techniques for human cloning (28.5.2005)
New treatments based on stem cell technology moved nearer to becoming a realistic possibility, with a UK research group reporting last week that it had successfully cloned a human blastocyst and South Korean researchers reporting that they had created stem cells to match individuals for the first time.

All IVF embryos should be checked for genetic defects, conference is told (28.5.2005)
All embryos resulting from in vitro fertilisation (IVF) should be routinely checked for genetic abnormalities before implantation, a conference on human genetics heard this week.

Doubt cast over new 'stembrid' cells (27.5.2005)
US scientists claim that they have developed a new technique for creating patient-matched embryonic stem (ES) cells, which does not involve 'therapeutic cloning'. Yuri Verlinsky, of the Reproductive Genetics Institute in Chicago, unveiled the new method at the recent Sixth International Symposium on Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis. However, news of the...

US Congress votes in favour of extensions to ES cell research (26.5.2005)
The US House of Representatives has approved a bill that would overturn President Bush's current policy on human embryonic stem (ES) cell research. Members of the House voted 238-194 in favour of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which was sponsored by Michael Castle and Dianne DeGette...

Call to screen all IVF embryos for abnormalities (23.5.2005)
Testing embryos for chromosomal abnormalities before they are returned to the womb can dramatically improve the 'take home baby rate' for some patients, according to a US fertility doctor. Speaking at the Sixth International Symposium on Preimplantation Genetics, held in London last week, Yury Verlinsky of the Reproductive Genetics Institute...

Stem Cells, Medicine: Stem cells help patients see again
A team of doctors in the UK has pioneered a process using donated adult stem cells to restore the eyesight of numerous patients.

British Medical Council Appeals Right-to-Life Ruling (17.5.2005)
Britain's General Medical Council appealed a court ruling blocking the withdrawal of food and drink from a man with a degenerative brain disease, arguing the judgment may force doctors to use harmful or unnecessary treatments on other patients.

New fertility treatment regulation proposed for Ireland (16.5.2005)
The Irish Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction (CAHR) has issued a report suggesting ways in which assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) should be regulated in Ireland. The report, which contains 40 recommendations, says that a new authority should be established to regulate ARTs, which are currently not governed by formal legislation...

Embryo stem cells help treat paralysed rats (14.5.2005)
US scientists have successfully treated rats with spinal cord injuries, using cells derived from human embryonic stem (ES) cells. The team, based at the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California, Irvine, reports that the cells restored movement in rats treated seven days after the initial injury, but did...

Espagne : le gouvernement approuve le projet de loi sur la procreation assistee
Vendredi, le gouvernement espagnol a approuvé en Conseil des ministres le projet de loi sur la procréation assistée.

Dutch approve euthanasia for a patient with Alzheimer's disease (7.5.2005)
The Netherlands' first reported case of a doctor complying with a request for assisted suicide from a patient with Alzheimer's disease was lawful, a report has said.

Menopause delay 'a possibility' (4.5.2005)
Early stage human eggs have been developed from stem cells for the first time, US researchers have revealed.

Woman pregnant with frozen egg twins (4.5.2005)
A British woman is expecting the country's first 'frozen egg' twins, it was revealed last week. The 36-year old woman is said to be five months pregnant, following the use of fertility treatments that included the freezing of one of her eggs. Doctors at the West Midlands-based Midland Fertility...

Animal to human transplantation, future potential, present risk, WHO (3.5.2005)
Transplantation of animal organs, living cells and tissues into humans is termed xenotransplantation. Recent experiments have shown that the transplantation of organs from genetically modified pigs into baboons can yield moderate to good results and this raises hopes for the future of organ transplantation from pigs to humans.

Euthanasie: la reaction du Vatican (2.5.2005)
Mgr Elio Sgreccia, président de l'Académie pontificale pour la Vie s'est félicité du refus par le Conseil de l'Europe d'une résolution promouvant l'euthanasie (cf revue de presse du 28/04/05).