British scientists create artificial sperm

Microdizzey · #1 07-08-2009, 11:43 AM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...tem-cells.html

Quote:

Ethical storm flares as British scientists create artificial sperm from human stem cells

By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 9:58 AM on 08th July 2009

Professor Karim Nayernia has created a substance which turns human stem cells into sperm

In a world first, British scientists have grown human sperm in the laboratory.

The breakthrough in stem cell science offers a potential cure for male infertility and could be used in IVF clinics in as little as five years.

It would allow thousands of men to father children that are genetically their own, possibly from just a sliver of their skin.

But the cutting-edge work is fraught with medical and ethical problems.

It raises the possibility of babies being born entirely through artificial means, and even the macabre scenario of long-dead men 'fathering' children from beyond the grave.

The Newcastle University work centres on stem cells - 'blank' cells with the ability to turn into other cell types.

Biologist Karim Nayernia created a cocktail of chemicals and vitamins that turned human stem cells into sperm, the journal Stem Cells and Development reports today.

Viewed through a microscope, they have heads and tails and swim like normal sperm, and Professor Nayernia is 'convinced' they would be capable of fertilising eggs and creating babies.

He has more safety checks to carry out but plans to apply for permission to use some of the artificial sperm to fertilise eggs for research purposes.

The stem cells used were taken from embryos in the first days of life but the professor hopes to repeat his success with skin cells taken from a man's arm. These would first be exposed to a mixture that wound back their biological clocks to embryonic stem cell state, before being transformed into sperm.

Scientists at Newcastle University have made medical history by using stem cell research to create human sperm. Pictured is a microscope image of artificial sperm

Using IVF techniques, the artificial sperm could be injected into eggs, allowing men who do not produce sperm to father children of their own.

However, British law forbids the use of lab-grown sperm or eggs in fertility treatment - a situation the researchers believe needs to change.

Lab-grown sperm could also shed light on the causes of infertility, leading to new treatments for the heartbreaking but little-understood condition that affects one in six couples.

Identification of a flaw in the sperm-making process could lead to the creation of a 'miracle pill' to boost fertility.

Professor Nayernia said: 'This is an important development as it will allow researchers to study in detail how sperm forms and lead to a better understanding of infertility in men - why it happens and what is causing it.

'Male infertility is a growing problem and no one knows why. We'll be able to study the effects of pollution and nutrition in the lab.'

But the researcher also acknowledged that the technique could potentially be applied to skin cells taken from men who have been dead for many years, allowing them to 'father' children.

He said: 'This is the Jurassic Park scenario. In theory this would be possible but human reproduction is not a purely biological process. We have to think of the psychological, social and ethical considerations.'

The Newcastle team tried to create sperm from stem cells from female embryos but failed - suggesting that men will always have an important role in the creation of life.

But, in time, it may be possible to create eggs from a woman's stem cells, raising the possibility of artificial eggs and sperm being combined to create children through entirely artificial means.

Rival stem cell experts questioned whether the professor had created fully-functioning sperm and warned that similar experiments on mice had led to the birth of young with a host of health problems.

Opponents said it was wrong to meddle with the creation of human life. Josephine Quintavalle, of campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: '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.

'Infertility is an issue we have to address but this is not an ethical solution. If the solution involves the sacrifice of human life, then it should be apparent to anyone that it is unacceptable.'

Dr Trevor Stammers, a GP and lecturer in healthcare ethics, warned that the technology could be 'used and abused' to create children who did not know who their father was.

And he said there were easier ways of tackling fertility problems.

He said: 'Obviously there are men who through no bad habits or indulgences find themselves with a fertility problem but alcohol, smoking and drug misuse don't help.

'Alcohol alone is a huge cause of infertility in men.'

Step aside gentlemen, science will do all the work for us...

mexiblunt · #2 07-08-2009, 01:26 PM

Reminds me of the matrix... kinda. I don't have kids or have had kids but neat to think that I still may be able to long after I'm dead.
Now if they can produce an egg from a female embryo stem cell or even skin cells that would be crazy to think I could donate a little sperm and they could fert a produced egg from someone like cleopatra or your favorite historical woman and have your woman have her kids.

Microdizzey · #3 07-08-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mexiblunt

Reminds me of the matrix... kinda. I don't have kids or have had kids but neat to think that I still may be able to long after I'm dead.
Now if they can produce an egg from a female embryo stem cell or even skin cells that would be crazy to think I could donate a little sperm and they could fert a produced egg from someone like cleopatra or your favorite historical woman and have your woman have her kids.

I'm sure they're trying to figure it out. How crazy would that be, to have a whole race of people who aren't natural. I'd be concerned about the future generations of those people and could imagine their genes would mutate over time.

Also, I wonder if they're trying to create the perfect human from this. A new breed of man, better than the natural people. Well I guess they are "natural", sort of. But damn... if they could create a human being from the stem cells of another, our species wouldn't necessarily need males anymore. Women would dominate.... hahaha. Scary.

mexiblunt · #4 07-08-2009, 02:09 PM

Who gets to be the last man on earth. Like the"mother" plant of human kind or "woman" kind. I don't think that would happen but it does raise alot of questions, but again nothing that sci-fi hasn't "prepped" us for.

ViRedd · #5 07-08-2009, 05:00 PM

A good read: Huxley"s Brave New World.

http://www.huxley.net/

Vi

jrh72582 · #6 07-08-2009, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ViRedd

A good read: Huxley"s Brave New World.

http://www.huxley.net/

Vi

YES - dystopian literature is my favorite genre. Huxley, Orwell, and Bradbury. Oh yeah

TheBrutalTruth · #7 07-08-2009, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrh72582

YES - dystopian literature is my favorite genre. Huxley, Orwell, and Bradbury. Oh yeah

Orwell and Bradbury were better writers. Huxley's writing style leaves much to be desired.

Fahrenheit 451

jrh72582 · #8 07-08-2009, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBrutalTruth

Orwell and Bradbury were better writers. Huxley's writing style leaves much to be desired.

Fahrenheit 451

451 is my FAVORITE. Handmaid's Tale is next, followed by 84.

TheBrutalTruth · #9 07-08-2009, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Microdizzey

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...tem-cells.html
Step aside gentlemen, science will do all the work for us...

I guess this means I need to be careful when I tell idiots to go fuck themselves, they might just go and do it and reproduce more idiots...

jrh72582 · #10 07-08-2009, 09:17 PM

Is there a huge demand for sperm these days?

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