May 2011

Direct-to-consumer genetic tests neither accurate in their predictions nor beneficial to individuals, say European geneticists

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests give inaccurate predictions of disease risks and many European geneticists believe that some of them should be banned, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Tuesday). In the first of two studies to be presented, Rachel Kalf, from the department of epidemiology […]

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis can permit the birth of healthy children to women carrying mitochondrial DNA disease

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) can give women at risk of passing on a mitochondrial DNA disorder to their offspring a good chance of being able to give birth to an unaffected child, a researcher told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Monday). Dr. Debby Hellebrekers, from Maastricht […]

New advances in lipid genetics lead to better detection and prevention of major diseases

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Studying the genetic make-up of different varieties of lipids (fatty molecules) in the blood plasma of an individual can lead to a better and earlier prediction of diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, and heart disease, two researchers will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Monday 30 […]

Research suggests that lipofilling may be safe during conservation treatment for breast cancer

A new study has gone some way to answering the question about whether or not a technique called lipofilling is safe for women who are having their breasts reconstructed after surgery for breast cancer. Lipofilling involves taking some fat from another area of a woman’s body, such as her abdomen, and using it to fill […]

First study to investigate how many eggs are needed to achieve a live birth after IVF finds 15 is the perfect number

An analysis of over 400,000 IVF cycles in the UK has shown that doctors should aim to retrieve around 15 eggs from a woman’s ovaries in a single cycle in order to have the best chance of achieving a live birth after assisted reproduction technology. The study, which is published online in Europe’s leading reproductive […]