Progress Educational Trust

New research has shown that the gene responsible for the enzyme oleoyl-acyl-carrier-protein hydrolase (OLAH) directly correlates with respiratory infection severity. Analysis of patients with bird flu found that very low OLAH expression levels where associated with a good recovery rate and high expression rates with fatal outcomes. Some believe that exploring potential treatment options to lower the level of the enzyme might deliver better patient outcomes. Dr Semyon Bodian writes about the discovery in BioNews https://lnkd.in/eTFDgbmd #Genetics #genomics #respiratoryhealth #respiratory #respiratorycare

Join a world leading panel of speakers at the PET 2024 Annual Conference 40 years on from Warnock, this conference will see speakers including the Chair of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology and the Chief Executive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority – plus a wide range of leading practitioners, researchers, ethicists, lawyers and others – revisit the question of 'what status ought to be accorded to the human embryo'. Confirmed conference speakers and chairs include: Professor Karen Sermon (Chair of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) Peter Thompson (Chief Executive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) Professor Anneke Lucassen (Director of the Centre for Personalised Medicine at the University of Oxford) Dr Raj Mathur (Lead for Reproductive Medicine at St Mary's Hospital and at Manchester Fertility) Professor Sarah Franklin (Professor of Sociology at the University of Cambridge) Professor Shankar Srinivas (Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Oxford) Professor Geraldine Hartshorne (Scientific Director of the Coventry Centre for Reproductive Medicine) James Lawford Davies (Partner at LDMH Partners) Professor Emma Cave (Professor of Healthcare Law at Durham University) Dr Verena Nordhoff (Senior Clinical Embryologist at the University of Münster's Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology) Professor Dusko Ilic (Professor of Stem Cell Sciences at King's College London) Professor Lucy Frith (Professor of Bioethics and Health Research at the University of Manchester) Dr Aisling Ahlstrom (Scientific Director at Livio) Julian Hitchcock (Consultant at Biolawgy) Dr Valerie Shaikly (Founding Partner at Fertility Genetics) Sandy Starr (Deputy Director of PET) Professor Emily Jackson (Professor of Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science) Fiona Fox (Founder and Chief Executive of the Science Media Centre) Sarah Norcross (Director of PET) 40 Years after the Warnock Report: What Is the Embryo's Special Status? Central London, Wednesday, 04 December 2024, 9.00AM - 5.00PM (GMT) To learn more about the conference, the speakers and for how to but tickets go to: https://lnkd.in/dzSaTvwr #embryology #fertility #bioethics #law #science #medicalethics #philosophy #PETconf24 #stemcells #medicalresearch

Argentina's surrogacy stalemate: In this comment piece Sam Everingham, Global Director at Growing Families, explains what has happened as a result of Argentina's move to discourage cross-border surrogacy and how this has left dozens of intended parents unable to return home with their infants. This comment piece illustrates the problem by giving details of individual cases and the background behind how this situation as developed. Sam concludes: 'Now over 60 stateless newborns are caught in this awful conundrum, and it is becoming clearer that judicial authorities may be sending a message: commercial surrogacy arrangements, foreign agencies and hordes of nameless foreigners engaging with local Argentinians to create a family are not welcome.' You can read the full comment piece in BioNews: https://lnkd.in/eNUab7aS Image by Dr Christina Weis. © Christina Weis #fertility #infertility #surrogacy #surrogacyjourney #surrogacylaw

FERTILITY POLICY CHANGE ALERT Each month all available ICB policies are reviewed to ensure the PET Fertility Tracker is as accurate as possible. This month NHS South East London had a new policy document available. The policy offered an improved level of NHS-funded fertility treatment to those whose GP practice address falls within their catchment area. Although PET is please to see some positive change it is still below what is recommended in the NICE Guideline and same-sex female couples still have to self-fund 6 cycles of IUI to demonstrate subfertility. . The changes in the new policy for NHS South East London include: - Increase from 1 to 2 IVF cycles - Increase from 3 to ALL fresh or frozen viable embryos to be transferred as part of a single IVF cycle - Treatment has also been made available to women aged 40-42. In England there is a huge disparity in NHS-funded fertility treatment across the country, with very few patients able to access the NICE recommended three cycles of IVF. As a result PET has launched the ‘Power of Three’ campaign which aims to bring awareness of this postcode lottery, and ultimately deliver change for fertility patients. You can check what is available in your area at https://lnkd.in/etK52Nsg #fertility #infertility #IVFpower3 #ivf #lgbt #ivfforall

PET in the Press PET director Sarah Norcross was quoted in a recent article by Hannah Devlin in the Guardian. The piece explores the implications of a legal loophole in the rules around donor gamete use, which allows the strict 10-family limit to be side-stepped through the export abroad of donated sperm and eggs. Hannah's article included contributions from experts including Professor Jackson Kirkman-Brown, Rachel Cutting of the HFEA, Professor Lucy Frith, Professor Nicky Hudson and PET Director Sarah Norcross. Sarah commented “The HFEA’s position that this is outside its remit is not good enough,” said Sarah Norcross, director of the fertility charity Progress Educational Trust. “I’m not against there being more than 10 families if some are outside the UK, but 75, which some of these banks have alighted on, is a heck of a lot of relatives. Even if they say we can’t control the number of families abroad, they could insist that the number is made available to the recipient.” Professor Jackson Kirkman-Brown spoke at the recent PET event '10 Families & Counting: Time for Global Limits on Donor-Created (Half) Siblings?'. You can read a write-up of the discussion in BioNews by Dr Thomas Hopkins. https://lnkd.in/dgFPQbC9 The full article by Hannah Devlin is available online. https://lnkd.in/eDXHU_wC #ivf #fertility #donorsperm #donoreggs #donorconception #donorconceived

Bending and stretching stem cells can tell them what cell type to become, according to Canadian researchers. Traditionally, scientists use chemical cues to direct stem cells toward a particular cell fate, but research at McGill University in Montreal has demonstrated that mechanically manipulating stem cells also has the same effect. Dr Allen Ehrlicher, corresponding author of the study, and his team believe that this discovery could aid bone regeneration treatments in patients after traumatic incidents or those with osteoporosis. Dr Anna Wernick writes more about this research for BioNews https://lnkd.in/eDFtfuAR #stemcells #StemCellTherapy #stemcelltechnology #osteoporosis

PET featured in DIVA article 'We need fertility justice NOW!' In this comment piece Nancy Kelley, executive director of DIVA, unpicks the discrimination, stress and lack of clarity still faced by same-sex people who want to start a family. The Women's Health Strategy for England committed to removing the financial barriers for LBQ+ women accessing NHS fertility care. That was two years ago and still the vast majority (34/42) of ICBs, where specified, still require same-sex female couples to self-fund the diagnostics needed to confirm subfertility. Then even if this complex and costly hurdle is overcome they are likely to be offered less than the recommended NICE Guideline of three full NHS-funded IVF cycles - a recommendation which was made more than 20 years ago! PET director Sarah Norcross commented in the article ' I think there is still a stigma around fertility treatment and for some people who work at ICBs, some GPs perhaps, still see it as a life style thing ..... and so are perhaps not terribly sympathetic'. Sarah went on to say 'I think there's also a political issue here because ....... it's something ICBs can withhold and perhaps cynically use as a signal to say 'we need more funding''. The ICB policy data was provided by the newly launched PET Fertility Tracker which monitors all ICB's fertility policies (where available) for a range of criteria. You can find out what is on offer in your area here: https://lnkd.in/etK52Nsg #ivf #fertility #lgbtqia #fertilitytreatment #ivfforall

COMMENT PIECE: ‘China's ethics guidelines – A new era for human genome editing?’. In this article Professor Joy Zhang reads between the lines of China’s new ethical guidelines and what they tell us about the country's changing attitude to human genome editing. Read the full article for free on our website: https://lnkd.in/dADMeRy8 To share your thoughts on this article all you need to do is follow the link, sign in and leave a comment – why not give it a try today. #genomeediting #genomics #genetics #DNA #china

'40 Years after the Warnock Report: What Is the Embryo's Special Status?' – the 2024 Annual Conference of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) – is taking place from 9am-5pm (followed by a drinks reception) on Wednesday 4 December. This conference will see speakers including the Chair of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and the Chief Executive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) – plus a wide range of leading practitioners, researchers, ethicists, lawyers and others – revisit the question of 'what status ought to be accorded to the human embryo'. To learn more about the event and to register, go to https://lnkd.in/dzSaTvwr. The ticket price includes lunch, morning/afternoon refreshments, and the closing drinks reception. There is an early bird discount if you register before 13 September. Additionally, the Institute of Medical Ethics has provided funding for 8 medical students to attend the conference free of charge. Medical students wishing to apply for one of these places should email sstarr@progress.org.uk This is an in person conference taking place in central London, and will not be livecast or recorded. Image: Original artwork by Ines Chapa-Chorda, Clinical Embryologist and PET volunteer. #PETconf24 #embryologist #hfea #bioethics #medicalethics #medicalresearch #stemcells #fertility #law #embryo

The genetic predisposition for psychiatric and substance abuse disorders of a person's peer group may have long-term effects on their own risk of developing these disorders finds new study. Dr Jenny Lange writes more about this fascinating research in BioNews: https://lnkd.in/d5mBpRX6 Why not share your thoughts in the article comment section on our website. #genetics #genomics #hereditary #environmental #naturevsnurture #mentalhealth #mentalillness #substanceabuse #addiction