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CRISPR Cas9 blocked by the human immune system?
Our immune system could block some gene therapies based on the CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme - at least according to one study [1] pre-published on the bioRxiv site on 5 January. CRISPR-Cas9 is a primitive immune system of many bacteria. Today, it is used to...
IUD pregnancies: risks for mother and child
Scientists at Ben Gourion University of Neguev and Soroka have studied cases of IUD pregnancies. IUD is the most widespread form of contraception in the world. According to the scientists, the women concerned are at higher risk of premature births, low birth weight,...
“Boys Only”: a CRISPR research project to produce only male cattle
Australian geneticist, Alison Van Eenennaam, works at California University and is a keen advocate of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and genetic changes using CRISPR. Her work focuses on cattle. In particular, she has contributed to studies investigating genetic...
United States: a federal law to protect babies born alive after a failed abortion attempt?
In the United States, a draft bill states that any doctor who fails to administer appropriate care to a newborn infant following a failed attempt at abortion faces a prison sentence of five years. "The idea behind this law is simply that a baby who is born...
Surrogacy in Cambodia: surrogate mothers to face legal proceedings
Following a surrogacy ban by the Cambodian Health Minister (see Cambodia bans surrogacy, following in the footsteps of India and Thailand), the Minister of the Interior has announced a "surrogacy amnesty" up to the deadline on 8 January 2018. Surrogate mothers who...
Medically Assisted Procreation (MAP): the freezing of embryos does not improve in-vitro fertilisation outcome
In a study to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists [1] show that in-vitro fertilisation procedures using frozen embryos generate the same number of births as fresh embryo techniques. This study was carried out in the light of preference...
Number of organ transplants on the rise in the United States
The 2017 US organ donor list, drawn up by the United Network for Organ Sharing[1], is both "optimistic and disconcerting ". In 2017, organs were harvested from 10,281 deceased donors, i.e. "an increase of 27% over the last decade". These donated...
From “repair” to “augmentation” of human beings – where does transhumanism begin?
Bionic eye, prostheses, exoskeleton - the augmented human of the 21st century fascinates and repels us at the same time. But what is an augmented human? Where should the line between repair, care and augmentation actually be drawn? Is there a threshold beyond which...
Ohio passes the bill banning Down syndrome abortions
On Friday 22 December, Ohio Governor, John Kasich, signed the bill adopted by the Senate last November (see Ban on abortions based on antenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome in Ohio: draft bill adopted by the Lower House and Ohio: Down Syndrome no longer...
Switzerland: reimbursement of infertility treatments in question
In Switzerland, infertile couples can be reimbursed by basic health insurance to cover one year of ovarian stimulation and three inseminations (per pregnancy). This general rule is, however, left to the discretion of the health insurance fund, which "may oppose...
Germany: parentage under scrutiny following sex change
In Germany, a man froze his sperm before undergoing a sex change in 2012. Three years later, his partner gave birth to a child by medically assisted procreation (MAP) using this sperm. The transsexual individual wanted to be recognised as the child's mother but the...
England: will self-preservation of eggs soon be covered for transgender individuals?
The British Fertility Society is issuing new guidelines recommending that the NHS covers the self-preservation of eggs of transgender individuals prior to transition[1], "so that they can be parents". Wales and Scotland are already implementing these...