Progress Educational Trust

http://www.progress.org.uk

The Progress Educational Trust (PET) is a registered charity based in the UK, working since 1992 to enhance public engagement with issues surrounding human genetics, reproduction and embryo/stem cell research. The fundamental objective of PET is to help create an environment in which ethically sound research and practices in genetic services and assisted reproduction will thrive.

The ultimate beneficiaries of PET's work are families and individuals threatened by genetic disease or infertility, including parents wanting an opportunity to give birth to healthy children. PET operates in the civic space between Government/regulators, scientists and practitioners, and those who are directly or potentially affected by developments in the field. It seeks to bring timely influence to bear on policymakers, as new advances and issues arise.

PET is guided by an advisory committee made up of experts in a wide variety of disciplines, and the panel includes eminent scientists and clinicians. PET is best known for its publication BioNews, an authoritative news digest which is published weekly and has a circulation of 10,000. The readership comprises academics, clinicians, ethicists, lawyers, patients, policymakers, regulators, students, and scientific practitioners and researchers.

BioNews commentaries – expert opinion pieces on scientific controversies, ethical, social and legal issues – provide a platform for diverse commentators, including those at the cutting edge of biomedical science, commentators from a range of disciplines, and families and organisations who have fought for changes in regulation.