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A new version of CRISPR Cas9 to activate genes without breaking the DNA
A team from the Salk Institute has developed a new version of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology allowing them to selectively activate genes in mice without breaking the DNA. The team has therefore succeeded in improving the condition of mice suffering...
3D nanoscopic objects made from strands of DNA, “just like LEGO”
In the Nature journal, an Inserm scientist [1] in conjunction with Harvard University announced the creation of nanoscopic objects[2] from four DNA bases, namely A, T, C and G, fitting them together like LEGO®. We therefore "have the creation of new...
Hormonal contraception: risk of breast cancer increases by 20%
A new study involving 1.8 million Danish women between 15 and 49 years of age, carried out over eleven years, concluded that the recent or current use of hormonal contraception increases the risk of breast cancer by 20%. The study, which was reported in the...
The Netherlands: is euthanasia legally permissible if an individual feels that their “life is over?”
Whilst the annual report of the Regional Committees for the Control of Euthanasia (RTE) in the Netherlands "states that the official number of euthanasia cases increased once again in 2016", their president, Jacob Kohnstamm, "warns against the uncertainties inherent...
“Never has Europe been so pro-life”
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, is publishing a report denouncing the "imminent threats to health and the sexual and reproductive rights of women". Gènéthique takes stock of the situation with Grégor Puppinck[1], Doctor of Law...
The gene drive financed by the American army and supported by the Gates Foundation
Following a meeting of the Cartagena Protocol working group in Montreal as part of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, documents have been published showing "that the US army is heavily involved in financing research into the gene...
Discontent of psychiatrists faced with euthanasia in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, two psychiatrists "concerned about the practice of euthanasia on individuals presenting with psychiatric disorders" have started a petition to obtain the signatures of other psychiatrists who are also worried about the situation. For...
Amniotic fluid – a source of stem cells
Several studies show that amniotic fluid is a precious source of biological material including stem cells for use in regenerative medicine. A Swedish team has developed a method to safely harvest these cells during elective Caesarean sections. As millions of these...
USA: tax reform grants legal status to embryos
On Saturday, 2 December, the United States Senate adopted a tax reform bill which "gives rights to ‘children in utero’ ", "by 51 votes to 49". Section 1202 of the tax reform refers to "529 Plans", a programme devised in 1996, "which allows American...
Suicide vs. medically assisted dying: Canadian doctors are baffled
Further to medically assisted dying legislation in Canada[1], some "baffled" doctors wonder about treating patients who have attempted suicide. And, according to the National Post, several patients who poisoned themselves did not receive the antidote despite the...
United States: the first birth following a uterus transplant
On 1 December, managers at a Dallas hospital in Texas announced that a woman had given birth to a baby following a uterus transplant - a first for the United States. The spokesperson did not give many details but a press conference was scheduled for 4 December....
The new Hippocratic Oath places the value of human life in the balance
During its General Assembly in Chicago, in October 2017, the World Medical Association (WMA) adopted an amended version of the Hippocratic Oath. Initially enacted in 1948 following the involvement of eminent German doctors in experiments performed on...