2006

Creation of New Organs a Step Closer
Alok Jha, The Guardian, December 28, 2006
Scientists are a step closer to growing replacement organs and tissues that can be transplanted into patients. Their breakthrough uses tiny protein scaffolds that encourage stem cells to grow into three-dimensional structures.
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Patent Protest Erupts over Human Stem Cell Research
Deutsche Welle, December 28, 2006
German laws regarding embryonic stem cells are some of the most restrictive in the world, and recently a German court partially reversed approval for a patent to a German scientist for his stem-cell research methods.
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Missouri's Stem-cell Mistake
David Prentice, Christian Science Monitor, December 27, 2006
Few issues dominated news in Missouri this year like stem-cell research. In November, Amendment 2, a pro-stem-cell measure, passed with less than 51 percent of the vote. While the campaign slogans are gone, IBHF Fellow David Prentice asserts that the destructive impact of the law's fine print is not.
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VA to Launch Large-scale Genetic Data Collection
Nancy Ferris, Government Health IT, December 27, 2006
Aiming for breakthroughs in genomic medicine, the Department of Veterans Affairs has begun collecting genetic information from patients and will link the information to each patientıs electronic health record.
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The Year in Biotech
Emily Singer, Technology Review, December 27, 2006
From brain chips to gene chips, and from magical pills to stem-cell cures, this article looks back at the scientists, companies, and inventions that have changed biotech in 2006.
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2006: The Year in Biology and Medicine
Roxanne Khamsi, New Scientist, December 27, 2006
Dramatic is the only way to describe 2006 with regard to biology, technology, politics, and ethics. This article recounts some of the major events.
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Biotech Revolution Promises to Alter Human Nature
Ursula Stephens, EurekaStreet.com.au, December 26, 2006
There is no doubt that recent breakthroughs in biotechnology have made a huge contribution to human life. Now, maybe more than ever, a note of caution about the role of biotech in the future of human beings is an important part of the bioethical debate.
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Single Gene Could Lead to Long Life, Better Mental Function
Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American, December 26, 2006
A variation of a gene that controls the size of cholesterol molecules in the bloodstream is common among elderly Ashkenazim who remain mentally sharp.
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We'll All Be Cyborgs Someday, Scientist Says
Don Melvin, The Statesman, December 23, 2006
A British professor foresees the day when most people will be implanted with computer chips. Kevin Warwick, a professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, has firsthand knowledge, as, in 1998, he had a chip surgically inserted into his left arm, becoming the first human ever implanted with a computer chip.
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Congress Passes First-ever Legal Ban on Sports Gene Doping
Brent Blackwelder, Friends of the Earth, December 20, 2006
President Bush is expected to sign into law a bill that for the first time in the United States enacts a federal ban on the use of genetic engineering, colloquially called "gene doping," in athletic competition.
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British Embryo Laws Face Overhaul
BBC News, December 11, 2006
Researchers will be allowed to create test-tube embryos that are part human and part animal under a proposal to be announced by British health officials.
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DNA Gatherers Hit a Snag: The Tribes Don't Trust Them
Amy Harmon, New York Times, December 10, 2006
The National Geographic Society's multi-million-dollar research project to collect DNA samples from indigenous groups around the world with the hope of reconstructing humanity's migrations has come to a standstill in North America.
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Connecticut Takes a Lead in Stem-cell Research Aid
Jennifer Medina, New York Times, December 10, 2006
One researcher will receive $3.5 million to explore how embryonic stem cells might be used to repair skin, muscles, cartilage, and bones. Another will get a few hundred thousand dollars to examine the ways in which such cells could repair neurons damaged by epilepsy and seizures. A third will be funded to track their use in treating Parkinson's and other degenerative brain diseases.
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Australia Lifts Therapeutic Cloning Ban
Rod McGuirk, Washington Post, December 6, 2006
Australian lawmakers rejected the views of their political leaders and lifted a four-year ban on cloning human embryos for stem-cell research.
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Scientist, Police Thyself
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, ScienceMag.org, December 5, 2006
Thanks to advances in synthetic genomics, an aspiring bioterrorist could turn a harmless virus into a deadly strain -- or make a killer bug from scratch -- by ordering strands of DNA. To address this threat, an independent group of biologists and security experts issued a draft report that lays out options for regulating commercial gene synthesis and academic research in the field.
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Fool's Gold Rush in California
Investor's Business Daily, December 5, 2006
Scientists associated with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine now admit that a decade of stem-cell research may be insufficient to find cures for even one disease ­ despite the claims of stem-cell activists.
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Their Bodies, Our Selves
Kerry Howley, Reason, December 5, 2006
"The Catalona Collection" contains thousands of frozen human tissue samples, which are presently housed at Washington University in St. Louis. This collection is at the center of a dispute over the ownership of these samples and their use.
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Falling Behind?
Another Embryonic-stem-cell Claim Refuted
Yuval Levin, National Review, December 4, 2006
Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have made clear that overturning President Bushıs embryonic-stem-cell-research-funding policy will be high on their agenda when they take the reins of the Congress.
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Australia Lifts Ban on Therapeutic Cloning
Rod Mcguirk, USA Today, December 6, 2006
Australia legalized the cloning of human embryos for stem-cell research with a vote by the House of Representatives that lifted a four-year-old ban on the procedure.
The legislation passed 82-62 in the House, where Prime Minister John Howard and others voted against it. The bill was already passed by the Senate.
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US Congress May Debate New Stem Cell Legislation in New Year
Antony Blackburn-Starza, BioNews.org.co.uk, December 4, 2006
In the United States, the Democrats have indicated that they will push for a vote on stem-cell legislation that would permit additional allocation of federal funding for research.
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Supreme Court to Rule in Pivotal Patent Case
Laura Cutland, East Bay Business Times, December 1, 2006
Leaders of the biotech industry are keeping a close eye on a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could have major repercussions on their patents.
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IVF Can Lower Chance of Pregnancy
Beezy Marsh, Sunday Telegraph, December 2, 2006
Thousands of women who take high doses of fertility drugs as part of IVF treatment may actually be harming their chances of ever having a baby, doctors are warning. Increasing reliance on such drugs could prevent women from getting pregnant and could damage their eggs, new studies suggest.
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