The "mighty mice" are seven times more active in their home cages than other mice and are markedly more aggressive -- not necessarily a good prognostic for humans. "We humans have exactly the same gene. But this is not something that you'd do to a human," says Dr Hanson. "It's completely wrong. We do not think that this mouse model is an appropriate model for human gene therapy. It is currently not possible to introduce genes into the skeletal muscles of humans and it would not be ethical to even try." ~ Guardian, Nov 2
Sir Isaac Newton once marvelled at "the great ocean of truth [which] lay all undiscovered before me", but modern scientists will soon turn the ocean into a shallow pond, according to theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, of the City College of New York. He is the host of a new BBC series in which scientists peer into the future.
His own feeling is that "We have unlocked the secrets of matter. We have unravelled the molecule of life, DNA. And we have created a form of artificial intelligence, the computer. We are making the historic transition from the age of scientific discovery to the age of scientific mastery in which we will be able to manipulate and mould nature almost to our wishes."
Nearly all of the predictions have some bioethical relevance, but here are two which are good talking points:
Control over human evolution, by Joel Garreau, author of Radical Evolution: "For the first time, our technologies are not so much aimed outward at modifying our environment in the fashion of agriculture or space travel; increasingly, technologies are aimed inward, at modifying our minds, our memories, our metabolisms, our personalities and our kids. And this is not in some distant, science-fiction future -- this is now. What's shocking about this is that if you can do all that, you're talking about humans becoming the first species to take control of their own evolution."
An end to ageing, by Prof Leonard Hayflick, University of California, San Francisco: "Our conscious recognition of the finitude of our lives is key to how we live. Virtually every aspect of our lives is governed by our sense of self and our sense of when we will age, and, of course, when we will die. One really has to think seriously about tampering with the ageing process and what its implications might be." ~ London Telegraph, Oct 23
Living in ignorance of trial results
Thousands of patients who took place in clinical trials may never learn whether the drugs or devices were faulty, the New York Times says. Although the US Congress recently required manufacturers to disclose results of approved products, it did not require disclosure of non-approved products. Hence, people with implanted medical devices such as shunts or breast implants could be at risk.
For everyone involved in the research, "there is a tremendous incentive to go on, to forget about the old and move on to the new," said Drummond Rennie, a deputy editor at the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Although researchers conducting clinical studies are not required to disclose test results to participants, they are supposed to alert them to emerging product dangers. They are also supposed to follow the health of participants. But this often is neglected.
Industry successfully lobbied Congress against disclosure of the results of trials which failed. The manufacturers argued that releasing data about them would confuse patients and would give away valuable information to competitors about devices under development that might succeed later on. ~ New York Times, Oct 30
Head and shoulders above other genome sequences
Just a bit of flaky news for genetics buffs: Proctor & Gamble has sequenced the complete genome for a fungus that causes dandruff. In an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, P&G scientists say that their work could help fight dandruff and a range of other skin conditions. In the course of their research they also managed to grow 10 litres of the fungus, Malassezia globosa -- enough to give 10 million people a very bad hair day. ~ Reuters, Nov 6
Lung patients denied intensive care in UK
Patients with chronic lung disease are being denied intensive care treatment because doctors are too pessimistic about their chances, research suggests.
A British Medical Journal study of 800 patients who had been admitted to intensive care to help them breathe has found survival rates were higher than doctors predicted. The implication is that patients might not be admitted, even though they would benefit from the treatment.
The syndrome under study, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, causes 30,000 deaths a year in the UK.
When patients have a COPD attack, they can benefit from intubation -- where a tube is put into their airway to help them breathe -- but they have to be admitted to intensive care so they can be sedated for the procedure. However, doctors may be unwilling to admit patients who have a poor prognosis.
Often, however, the survival rate is higher than pessimistic doctors believe. Some 62% of patients who were intubated were alive six months later, although doctors had forecast that less than half would survive that long. In the worst cases, the forecast was 10% survival at six months but 40% of patients lived this long. ~ BBC, Nov 2
Thou shalt not bear false witness
Most medical ethics issues are brain teasers, but occasionally they are just no brainers. Take this case brought before the UK's medical registration board, the General Medical Council. Dr Alan Howlett, a general practitioner from Devon, was suspended for 10 months because he failed to disclose that he had been named a beneficiary in the will of an elderly woman in his care.
He lied on the form which authorised her cremation and stated that he had no pecuniary interest in her death. Furthermore, he failed to honour an agreement with his partners to disclose any such bequests. A remorseful Dr Howlett was told that "the offence for which you were cautioned is one which is particularly serious in professional terms". ~ BMJ, Nov 3
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Bioethics is never far from the war in Iraq. This time, the centre of controversy is Colonel John Holcomb, the head of the US Army's Institute of Surgical Research, based on the campus of the Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Texas. Col Holcomb is a highly respected and innovative trauma surgeon who has reorganised the way that the Army treats casualties. But his enthusiastic acceptance of unproven treatments for severely wounded soldiers has raised eyebrows.
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