BioNews

​My biography on the BioNews - Progress Educational Trust website.

BioNews Comment articles written by Annabel Slater

From acupuncture to yoga: Can lifestyle choices improve the odds of IVF working for you?
25 June 2018 - by Annabel Slater
'Those of us who work in infertility are not going to go out of business anytime soon,' commented Professor Richard Anderson, at the University of Edinburgh, at the Progress Educational Trust's (PET's) latest event, 'From Acupuncture to Yoga: Can Lifestyle Choices Improve the Odds of IVF Working for You?'... [Read More]

Time waits for no man: the impact of age on male fertility
21 May 2018 - by Annabel Slater
It's a first for the Progress Educational Trust - an event dedicated solely to male fertility: Time Waits for No Man... [Read More]

Genome editing: CRISPR at the cutting edge
23 January 2017 - by Annabel Slater
The fourth session of the Progress Educational Trust's annual conference 'Rethinking the Ethics of Embryo Research: Genome Editing, 14 Days and Beyond' delved into the new genome-editing technique CRISPR/Cas9 and what it means for embryo research... [Read More]

BioNews Review articles written by Annabel Slater:

​Theatre Review: Egg – Edinburgh Fringe
3 September 2018 - by Annabel Slater
An evocative and arresting sight hung suspended at the entrance to Egg. Sarah Bebe Holmes lay coiled inside a clear plastic bag of water, eyes closed, delicately moving her fists like a fetus in the womb... [Read More]

Book Review: A Crack in Creation - Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution
21 August 2017 - by Annabel Slater
I'm glad to see a scientist engaging so strongly in public debate about the use of technology, rather than speculating from the sidelines... [Read More]

Event Review: Jennifer Doudna talks to Adam Rutherford
03 July 2017 - by Annabel Slater
'This technology really gets the imagination going. It's almost anything that you could imagine wanting to control at the level of genetics, is now in principle within reach.' And the power to control evolution raises important questions of responsibility. This is the message of Professor Jennifer Doudna... [Read More]

Radio Review: Seriously - The Great Egg Freeze
10 April 2017 - by Annabel Slater
The contradictions of the burgeoning egg freezing industry are lucidly demonstrated out in The Great Egg Freeze, a radio documentary by journalist Fi Glover... [Read More]

Book Review: Introducing Epigenetics – A graphic guide
27 February 2017 - by Annabel Slater
​'Introducing Epigenetics: A graphic guide' is a mini-textbook pitched as a non-fiction comic book. Despite the colourful cover and perky graphics inside, this book does not make for light reading... [Read More]

Book Review: Redesigning Life - How Genome Editing will Transform the World
07 November 2016 - by Annabel Slater
Dr John Parrington thinks the ethics of genome editing should be shaped by scientifically informed public debate, and he hopes his book will provide a starting point... [Read More]

BioNews News articles written by Annabel Slater:

Seventy-two new gene targets for breast cancer found
30 October 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Two studies have discovered 72 new genetic variants associated with the risk of developing breast cancer... [Read More]
Lifespan linked by study to mutations and lifestyle
23 October 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Weight loss, education, giving up smoking, and being open to new experiences have all been linked to longer life... [Read More]
Act now to investigate male infertility, urges expert
16 October 2017 - by Annabel Slater
An expert in male fertility has called for urgent research into the stark decline reported in Western sperm counts... [Read More]
Epigenetics of addiction relapse probed using rats
02 October 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Researchers have identified how the likelihood of cocaine addiction relapse is influenced by epigenetic changes in rats... [Read More]

Brain has 'genetic calendar' for ageing
18 September 2017 - by Annabel Slater
A 'genetic lifespan calendar' of lifelong gene expression changes has been discovered in human and mouse brains... [Read More]

Deficient diet linked to schizophrenia symptoms in mice
11 September 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Mice deprived of two essential fatty acids during pregnancy give birth to pups with schizophrenia-like symptoms... [Read More]
Doubt over human embryo editing study
04 September 2017 - by Annabel Slater
A group of scientists have challenged the landmark study which reported the first successful editing of human embryos for a genetic disease... [Read More]

Surrogacy charity founder sentenced for embezzlement
29 August 2017 - by Annabel Slater
A surrogacy charity founder has been convicted of embezzling £50,000... [Read More]

Gene therapy skin grafts for obesity and diabetes
07 August 2017 - by Annabel Slater
A proof-of-concept study in mice has demonstrated how skin grafts could deliver gene therapy for obesity and diabetes... [Read More]
​
Multiple rounds of IVF increase chance of success
31 July 2017 - by Annabel Slater
IVF success rates increase with multiple rounds... [Read More]

Fertility provider declares £15 million IVF cash boost in UK
24 July 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Spanish fertility treatment provider IVI announced they have invested £15 million into the UK this year... [Read More]

Children's visual attention is genetically controlled
17 July 2017 - by Annabel Slater
How infants look at the world is strongly controlled by genetics, a new study has found... [Read More]
​
Forty new genes linked to intelligence in humans found
30 May 2017 - by Annabel Slater
A study of almost 80,000 people has identified 40 new genes linked to intelligence... [Read More]

Genome editing used to slow cancer growth
30 May 2017 - by Annabel Slater
US scientists have delayed cancer cell growth by using genome editing to remove a protein... [Read More]
​
New mechanisms causing greying hair and baldness uncovered
15 May 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Scientists have shown how a gene and protein cause greying and hair loss in mice... [Read More]

Plan to build synthetic human DNA genome gains momentum
08 May 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Human DNA could be artificially synthesised in around five years or less, according to one of the organisers behind the Genome Project-write plan... [Read More]

Autism linked to grandmothers' smoking
02 May 2017 - by Annabel Slater
A higher likelihood of autism spectrum disorder and autistic traits have been linked to maternal grandmothers smoking while pregnant... [Read More]

Gene for sound sleep identified
10 April 2017 - by Annabel Slater
A gene has been linked to quality of sleep... [Read More]

New genes linked to brain and ovarian cancer
03 April 2017 - by Annabel Slater
New genes indicating risk of ovarian and brain cancer have been identified using genome-wide association studies... [Read More]

Drug targeting old cells reverses ageing in mice
27 March 2017 - by Annabel Slater
A drug that reverses aspects of ageing has been successfully demonstrated in mice... [Read More]

Donated sperm in Florida counties may be infected with Zika
20 March 2017 - by Annabel Slater
The US Centers for Disease Control has identified a potential risk of Zika virus transmission from donor sperm in the Florida tri-county area... [Read More]

Remission in one-third of terminal lymphoma patients after gene therapy
06 March 2017 - by Annabel Slater
A trial gene therapy has reversed terminal blood cancer in a third of patients... [Read More]

'Enigma code' of common-cold virus may be deciphered
27 February 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Scientists have identified a 'hidden code' of key DNA sequences in a virus from the same family as the common cold... [Read More]

US scientists create first human-pig embryo chimeras
30 January 2017 - by Annabel Slater
The first early human–pig embryo chimeras have been created by researchers at the Salk Institute, California... [Read More]

Genetic fingerprint identifies aggressive prostate cancer
16 January 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Canadian scientists have identified a genetic fingerprint that indicates which prostate cancer tumours may develop into a more aggressive form of the disease after treatment... [Read More]

Discussion of ethics of new IVG technique is needed, say US experts
16 January 2017 - by Annabel Slater
Three US experts say public conversation should begin now on the ethical challenges raised by a new fertility technology that could reprogram any human cell into eggs and sperm... [Read More]

IVF culture medium can double the chance of success
09 January 2017 - by Annabel Slater
The type of culture media used in IVF can more than double the chance of producing healthy embryos and significantly affect chances of successful conception... [Read More]

Proposal to extend 14-day limit on human embryo research
05 December 2016 - by Annabel Slater
An extension to the 14-day human embryo research rule will be proposed at the annual Progress Educational Trust conference on 7 December... [Read More]

Lower mitochondria gene activity in brains with Alzheimer's disease
14 November 2016 - by Annabel Slater
Brain tissue from Alzheimer's disease patients shows reduced expression of nuclear genes coding for mitochondrial function... [Read More]

Artificial sweeteners may reduce fertility
24 October 2016 - by Annabel Slater
Artificial sweeteners found in soft drinks may reduce female fertility, a study suggests...[Read More]

Gene therapy halts early Alzheimer's disease in mice
17 October 2016 - by Annabel Slater
A new gene therapy has slowed the progress of early Alzheimer's disease in mice... [Read More]

Cancer risk not linked to stem-cell division rates in organs
10 October 2016 - by Annabel Slater
Cancer risk is not linked to different rates of adult stem-cell division in organs, a study suggests...[Read More]

US fertility doctor accused of impregnating patients with his own sperm
19 September 2016 - by Annabel Slater
A retired fertility doctor in the US has been accused of using his own sperm to fertilise the eggs of patients at a fertility clinic... [Read More]

Moderate drinking may not affect female fertility
05 September 2016 - by Annabel Slater
Drinking fewer than 14 servings of alcohol per week does not affect female fertility, according to a new study... [Read More]

Stem cell treatment regenerates damaged heart tissue
01 August 2016 - by Annabel Slater
A new stem cell treatment has reversed scarring in heart failure patients by 40 percent, and also improved recovery and survival, a small-scale trial has demonstrated... [Read More]