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Scientists have shown for the first time that sperm grown from embryonic stem cells can be used to produce offspring. The experiment was carried out using mice and produced seven babies, six of which lived to adulthood.
The press release for the story can be read at Newcastle University’s press website, and a copy of the paper is available by contacting the author or Claire Jordan at Newcastle University.
Harry Moore, Professor of Reproductive Biology, University of Sheffield, said:
“This is important work which builds on a number of discoveries showing that embryonic stem cells can generate sperm and eggs in the lab. This latest finding is exciting, as it is the first indication that germ cells (immature sperm cells) produced in this way have the full potential to create an individual. This opens up many important possibilities for research related to genetics, cancer and cell reprogramming.
“In our own lab we have seen that human embryonic stem cells also follow a very similar developmental process. We are using this process to look at the how germ cells develop. Abnormal development of germ cells in men may lead to testicular cancer and infertility. Loss of germ cells in women cause infertility and premature menopause.
“The latest findings also highlight that these processes in the testtube are far from perfect as the mice that were born by this process were abnormal. We therefore have to be very cautious about using such techniques in therapies to treat men or women who are infertile due to a lack of germ stem cells until all safety aspects are resolved. This may take many years.”
Dr Allan Pacey, Senior Lecturer in Andrology at the University of Sheffield, said:
“This new study represents an advance in the procedure towards generating early sperm-like cells directly from stem cells in culture. However, animals generated from these sperm-like cells are imperfect, resulting in animals that are either too small or too large, and they die prematurely. Some of these defects are similar to those seen in cloned embryos. Careful scrutiny suggests that the sperm-like cells do not acquire all the appropriate marks that are essential for normal gene function in developing animals, and this would need to be rectified before the technology can be used in any context.”
Anna Smajdor is a researcher in medical ethics at Imperial College London, said:
“The creation of viable sperm outside the body is a hugely significant breakthrough and offers great potential for stem cell research and fertility treatments. However, sperm and eggs play a unique role in our understanding of kinship and parenthood, and being able to create these cells in the laboratory will pose a serious conceptual challenge for our society. Who is the father of offspring born from laboratory sperm? A collection of stem cells in a petri dish? The embryo from which the cells were derived…? The answers to these questions are not clear, but they go to the foundations of our sense of identity.
“But there is still a long way to go before these techniques are likely to be used in human beings. Many of the mice born from this ‘artificial sperm’ died prematurely, and displayed abnormal growth patterns, so it is clear that much more work is needed before laboratory-manufactured sperm is available for us. In the meantime, it is essential that we stay ahead of the game by addressing the ethical issues involved and constructing appropriate regulatory frameworks.”
Azim Surani, Marshall-Walton Professor Of Physiology And Reproduction, said:
“To be able to make functional sperm under controlled conditions in the laboratory will be very useful to study the basic biology of sperm production. There are currently many things we don’t know about how sperm are formed let alone why it sometimes goes wrong and leads to infertility in some men.
“It is more difficult to say whether Artificial Sperm produced this way could ultimately be used as a new treatment for male infertility. There are many technical, ethical and safety issues to be confronted before this could even be considered.”