Fertility breakthrough as sperm grown in lab
(wz) Human sperm cells have been created artificially for the first time, scientists said on Thursday (April, 12th – ed.).
The ground-breaking research offers hope to thousands of men with low sperm counts or who have been left infertile by cancer therapy. Fully-functioning reproductive cells could be manufactured in laboratories within five years for use in in-vitro fertilisation treatment, experts hope.
German scientists took samples from the bone marrow of male volunteers and isolated stem cells known as mesenchymal cells, which were already known to be able to grow into body tissue such as muscles.
These cells were then treated with vitamin A to transform them into primordial germ cells – the first stage in the production of sperm. Some then developed further into more advanced spermatagonial stem cells.
‘We are very excited about this discovery, particularly as our earlier work in mice suggests we could develop the work even further,’ said Prof Karim Nayernia, who carried out his research at Göttingen University but now works at the North-East England Stem Cell Institute in Newcastle. more…
From: »METRO.co.uk«