Academic

No End To Men

By Kim Krawiec

Since, here at the Faculty Lounge, we never bypass an opportunity to publicly discuss sperm (see, e.g. Live Sperm, Dead Donor and More Live Sperm, Dead Donor) I bring you news that scientists have created human sperm from embryonic stem cells for the first time.  From The Financial Times:

Karim Nayernia, project leader, said the ?in vitro designed? sperm produced in his laboratory looked fully mobile and functional under the microscope, though more research would be needed before IVD sperm were used to fertilise human eggs. The work might lead to a fertility treatment in five to 10 years, he said.

The research was carried out at Newcastle University, where Professor Nayernia moved from Germany in 2006.  Germany has quite restrictive laws on fertility treatments and bans embryo research.  (Subscription required).

Nayernia?s early research led to fears in some quarters of ?an end to men,? that would enable women (and lesbians, in particular) to produce biological offspring without male involvement.  But, says Nayernia, this misunderstands the research.  ?IVD sperm can only be produced from stem cells with male [XY] chromosomes,? Nayernia told the Financial Times. ?Stem cells with female [XX] chromosomes can be prompted to form early-stage sperm but do not progress further. This demonstrates that the genes on a Y chromosome are essential for meiosis and sperm maturation.?

The research is published online in the journal Stem Cells and Development today, ahead of print, and may provide an important breakthrough in the study of genetic disease and male infertility, but other experts in the field have questioned the validity of the results.   Moreover, the news is sure to fuel already-heated debates surrounding reproductive technology, including debates over the moral and legal status of embryos.  For example, according to Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, ?To take a viable human embryo and destroy it in a bid to create dodgy sperm to create a not-so-healthy embryo is experimentation for experimentation's sake.?   Others worry that the procedure could someday enable the birth of offspring from skin cells taken from men who have been dead for many years.  (See here and here for prior Lounge discussions on posthumous conception and fatherhood).  Finally, IVD sperm cannot be used in fertility treatment in the UK, where it is illegal, although the researchers add that their interest lies not in developing fertility treatments, but in studying the causes of infertility.

And because I?m an equal opportunity type of gal when it comes to reproductive technology, I plan to return later this week with another post on egg markets.  

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on July 08, 2009 (boomark / email).