Medical Regs & Ethics
23andMe’s story to unfold over the course of 2014
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled in November that the kit sold by the most prominent of these companies, ...
FDA backs genetic screening, but struggles against ‘wild west’ of consumer genomics
The FDA's tussle with personal genetics company 23andMe may make the headlines. But in many other ways the agency is ...
Will public trust in personalized medicine suffer, an ethicist wonders
23andMe's personal DNA test kits have helped increase public interest in personalized medicine. But after the FDA demanded they stop ...
Genomics is as important as the discovery of antibiotics
The researcher behind Australia's acquisition of a breakthrough DNA sequencing machine said genomics could have as significant an impact on ...
$1000 genome may finally be in sight
Despite all the talk, no company has yet met the goal of sequencing a human genome for $1,000 or less ...
Ethics debate intensifies over retraction of flawed Séralini GMO rat study
While the mainstream science community has backed the decision by a prominent journal to withdraw and expunge from the records ...
Gene therapy successful in treating leukemia. Can it be used to fight other cancers as well?
A new cancer treatment pioneered at the University of Pennsylvania has generated a lot of excitement in the field and ...
Using DNA to personally predict drug reactions
Scientists searching for a way to avoid prescribing medications to patients that may cause dangerous physical or behavioral responses are ...
Injecting DNA in the brain: What’s the promise of gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease?
Gene therapy has been used to successfully treat a number of challenging diseases, such as leukemia. Now, scientists are hoping ...
Will babies be genetically sequenced from birth within our lifetime?
According to a UK scientist, babies will be genetically sequenced from birth within our lifetime so that early treatment can ...
Genetics might explain preferences of heat or cold
As half the country recovers from record low temperatures, scientists have found that genetics plays an important role in human ...
Regulation of genetics-based medicine likely to spark controversy in 2014
Many of 2013's biggest medical stories, including the Supreme Court's ruling on Myriad Genetics and the FDA's regulation of 23andMe, ...
Do patents help or hinder stem-cell research?
As scientists get closer to using embryonic stem cells in new treatments for blindness, spinal cord injuries and heart disease, ...
Pre-marital DNA screening could reduce hereditary disorders in Qatar
Incorporating the newly-discovered genetic variations in the DNA of Qatar’s native population into the pre-marital screening process could have a ...
Precision medicine: reading genes and treating people before they get sick
Doctors and researchers around Boston are working to make drugs and health care delivery more individualized than ever. And patients ...
Patients give ‘broad endorsement’ to stem cell research
A new study shows that despite some ethical concerns, patients are largely in favor of stem cells made from skin ...
Does reading a novel physically change your brain?
According to a new study, reading a book can physically alter a person's brain. But it seems the researchers might ...
Disruptive genomics: Is China’s BGI the epicenter of the world’s biotech revolution?
What might be the consequences when we isolate the genes for IQ? Is cheap sequencing a good thing? Is there ...
Media missed important message when covering Angelina Jolie’s preventative mastectomy
Angelina Jolie's preventative double mastectomy was one of the biggest genetics stories of 2013. But, new studies show, the media ...
Ancient European genomes reveal jumbled ancestry
Newly released genome sequences from almost a dozen early human inhabitants of Europe suggest that the continent was once a ...
Genetics prof won’t waste his money on a DNA test in 2014
When a reporter for the New York Times set out to test three genetic tests, she received extremely varied results ...
New technologies demand update to ethics on future genetic testing
As prenatal testing continues to advance, expectant parents are presented with more genetic information than ever before. But how should ...
Italian woman with genetic disease condemns death threats received after defending animal experiments
An Italian woman suffering from a rare genetic illness has spoken out against the death wishes she was sent after ...
Irish potato farmers, facing blight scare, look to GMOs but EU turns blind eye
GM is important for Ireland. The country's staple pototao crop is being threatened. Farmers typically spray 10-20 times against blight; ...
Insurance coverage for genetic counseling varies from state to state
The affordable care act should improve insurance coverage for some genetic tests. But what about the counseling that helps you ...
Schizophrenia and lower cognitive ability genetically linked
Researchers at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research of Northshore LIJ recently discovered evidence of a genetic overlap between schizophrenia ...
Bioethical questions arise from advances in neuroscience
A new article looks at the five biggest potential moral and ethical dilemmas that might arise from recent advances in ...
