Genetic+Who+Knew

Female Infertility Linked to 350 Genes

By Brandon Keim September 24, 2007 | WIRED -SCIENCE

Geneticists have found 350 genes that may be linked to infertility in women. This could be a potential landmark in research on a condition that has so far eluded genetic analysis. Notice the //could.// It's the operative word here. They found the genes in mice; in such a poorly-understood condition, that's a big translation gap to cross. Moreover, though some of the genes have previously been linked to human infertility, suggesting that the scientists weren't totally off-base, their approach was self-limiting: they bred mice deficient in a gene that affects follicle development. As a result, the mice's ovaries developed simultaneously rather than at different times, making it easy to identify genes active in the process. FeBut this method probably won't detect genes that affect infertility but not early follicle development. And rather than identifying a handful of candidate genes in mice and then looking for them in people, why not do a [|whole genome association study] of infertile women and just get it right the first time? [|Scientists unearth 350 genes related to female fertility] [Press Release] [|Genomewide Discovery and Classification of Candidate Ovarian Fertility Genes in the Mouse] [Genetics]

25 September 2007
NewScientist.com news service Imagine being a potential suspect for every crime committed in your country. That would be the logic if DNA from all of a country's citizens were stored in police DNA records, claims a report published this week by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which advises the UK government. "It treats all citizens as potential suspects rather than as 'citizens of goodwill and intent' as at present," says Carole McCartney of the University of Leeds and project manager for the report. While more crimes might be solved, the loss of personal liberty, autonomy and privacy would be disproportionate, the report says. The UK's database is already by far the largest in the world with 3.4 million entries representing 6 per cent of the population. Databases in other European countries and the US represent just 0.5 per cent of the population. The report concludes that instead of keeping the DNA of innocent people, the UK database should only store DNA from those convicted of a crime or who have been charged with a serious violent or sexual offence. Earlier this month the UK government stated that it had "no plans to introduce a universal compulsory or voluntary DNA database". From issue 2622 of New Scientist magazine, 25 September 2007, page 5