Biotechnology News

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - In a Dec. 8 story about a federal health screening for a genetic mutation associated with a rare blood cancer, The Associated Press erroneously reported the number of people in northeastern Pennsylvania who were tested. It was 1,170, not nearly 2,200. Full Story »

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A mother's genes may be an important factor in the risk of preterm birth, two new studies suggest. Full Story »

TUESDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- New research has found that a certain kind of stem cell from human umbilical cords helped restore transparency to the cloudy corneas of laboratory mice, raising the prospect that they could do the same for people. Full Story »

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Federal health researchers have tested nearly 2,200 people in northeastern Pennsylvania for a genetic mutation associated with a rare blood cancer. Full Story »

CANCUN, Mexico (Reuters) - A study involving 128 South African families has identified genetic traits that may protect some people from tuberculosis in a finding that could help lead to a new TB vaccine, scientists said on Saturday. Full Story »

In a move long awaited by stem-cell researchers, the National Institutes of Health finally made available the first 13 new stem-cell lines eligible for federally funded study Full Story »

THURSDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- New research points to the possibility of a genetic link between vitamin D and heart disease. Full Story »

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Thirteen stem cell lines have been added to the pool that scientists can use for taxpayer-funded research, and many more such lines will soon be made available, U.S. health officials announced Wednesday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Scientists can start using taxpayer dollars to do research with 13 batches of embryonic stem cells and the government says dozens more cell lines should be available soon, opening a new era for the potentially life-saving field. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government approved the first 13 batches of human embryonic stem cells on Wednesday, enabling researchers using them to get millions of dollars in federal funding as promised by President Barack Obama in March. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US authorities Wednesday approved 13 new lines of human embryonic stem cells for scientific research in the first such move since the Obama administration lifted a ban on their use. Full Story »

PARIS (AFP) - Genes in sperm may determine why female mammals live longer than males, according to a Japanese study published on Wednesday in Human Reproduction, a European journal. Full Story »

BEIJING (AFP) - China has approved genetically modified strains of rice and corn in a move experts say could dramatically boost crop yields and help the world's most populous nation avoid food shortages. Full Story »

Learning anatomy with cadavers is a centuries-old rite of passage that once again is getting a face-lift as medical schools struggle to mix this core knowledge with an explosion of new information from the genetics revolution. Full Story »

After years of complications and high-profile setbacks, a series of small but intriguing advances has suggested that gene therapy may hold real future potential for treatment Full Story »

BRUSSELS - With a caretaker holding his hand, a Belgian man who was diagnosed as comatose for 23 years typed out a message Tuesday that he felt reborn after decades of loneliness and frustration. A leading bioethicist, however, expressed skepticism that the man was truly communicating on his own. Full Story »

THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- People's genetic makeup has been shown to affect how they respond to asthma medications, but a new study finds that many people respond well to a particular combination treatment regardless of their genes. Full Story »

LINCOLN, Neb. - The University of Nebraska's governing board on Friday voted not to place tighter restrictions on embryonic stem cell research than those outlined under federal guidelines, which were expanded after President Barack Obama took office. Full Story »