The CRISPR babies: the story unfolds
Remember the shocking announcement of the first births of genome modified twins (Lulu and Nana) globally? In an article in Nature Biotechnology, we learn a...
Shonky stem cell products explode in US
Disturbingly, there are now more than four times as many businesses in the United States offering untested stem cell treatments than there were five years...
What is the law on iBlastoids?
This week Professor Jose Polo and an international team have reprogrammed human adult cells to create an “iBlastoid” at Monash University. This breakthrough has opened a...
A class action suit against an Australian IVF provider is a reminder that IVF is a huge industry
Will Danielle Bopping be the Erin Brockovich of assisted reproduction? Remember Erin Brockovich, an inspiring consumer advocate and environmental activist in winning a US$333 million class-action lawsuit, the...
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine gets a second lease on life
Voters approve Prop 14 California, the state of sun, sand, surf, Botox, tech and stem cells. Like the tense national election, the stem cell field...
Regenerative clinics: strong language from FDA
American regulators get tough A strongly worded article in JAMA gives a heads-up to stem cell clinics operating outside of the regulatory framework that they...
Unscrupulous scammers are selling stem cell therapies for Covid-19
Regulatory agencies need to be tough It is alarming that unsubstantiated stem cell-based treatments for Covid-19 are cropping up everywhere. Bioethicist Leigh Turner, of the...
Ethical issues surrounding egg donation in genome editing
Women need adequate counselling Genome editing enables scientists to modify the DNA, the building blocks of life. Different technologies are used, including an innovative technique...
How should chimeric embryo research be regulated?
Amazingly, recent experiments fall between regulatory stools in Australia Experiments with chimeras will lead to greater knowledge and better health. Or that’s the argument of...
Fertility tourism: Australians travelling to US to have ‘designer babies’
It could become legal in Australia within a few years Australian intended parents are spending A$20,000 to select the sex and eye colour of yet-to-be-born...
The brave new world of human genome editing: an Australian perspective
Australian law needs to catch up with scientific developments Scientists around the world are exploring different techniques, including CRISPR/Cas-9, removing genes that cause heritable diseases/...
‘Right to try’ bills passed in US Congress: more harm than good?
The FDA has a real role to play and should not be sidelined On March 21, the US House of Representatives passed two Federal right-to-try...