SCI/TECH: Scientists Close to Creating Eggs and Sperm from Stem Cells

British scientists from Sheffield University announced early success in growing gamete cells from embryonic stem cells, a development that could offer more reproductive options to infertile couples including gay and lesbian couples and women past menopause. The achievement is scheduled to be announced European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Copenhagen today.



Cloning technologies are advancing at a furious pace. It looks like soon two people of the same sex will be able to have a child together with this technology. I just hope that ethical standards will be able to keep up.

Related News Links:
www.guardian.co.uk
www.abc.net.au

So a female virgin could have a child.......... I wonder if the end of the world folks can find a link to the number 666 with Sheffield Uni or one of the inevitable protest groups ?

Originally posted by malcr
So a female virgin could have a child.......... I wonder if the end of the world folks can find a link to the number 666 with Sheffield Uni or one of the inevitable protest groups ?

I guess so. They'd clone the virgin then grow both sperm and egg cells from it and fertilize the egg and implant it. That would be really strange, different from a clone but still made soley from one person's DNA.

Wow, thats pretty incredible. THe formation of gametes from regular cells is a bit of a process, a big acheivement of nature itself, I'd've thought something like this would be very difficult, but I suppose it makes sense, the stem cells are equipotent, they can become any of the tissues, or any combination of tissues. Each one can become a full person, or an organ, or anything. Impressive.

I don't know about making a sperm cell from a stem cell from a woman tho, the articles are a little unclear as to if thats something they've close to doing, and of course they haven't developed full eggs and sperm, but precursors, but still, quite an acheivement.

Here's a short little page on germ cells, and a page on development of mammalian gonads and a page on gamete production in humans and a page on the ethics of using stem cells to develope gametes. Apparently this topic has been the focus of disscussion and consideration before the experiment was done.

Very interesting!

Could be a godsend to couples that are infertile. But unfortunately it will get bogged down by politics. Anything involving stem cells will.

I find it very interesting that stem cell research (which seems capable of fixing almost all of our health problems) meets such opposition from politicians. Maybe because expensive prescriptions (in this case fertility treatments) would no longer be needed and the pharmaceutical lobby is scared to death?

Wow, thats pretty incredible. THe formation of gametes from regular cells is a bit of a process, a big acheivement of nature itself, I'd've thought something like this would be very difficult, but I suppose it makes sense, the stem cells are equipotent, they can become any of the tissues, or any combination of tissues. Each one can become a full person, or an organ, or anything. Impressive.

I don't know about making a sperm cell from a stem cell from a woman tho, the articles are a little unclear as to if thats something they've close to doing, and of course they haven't developed full eggs and sperm, but precursors, but still, quite an acheivement.

Here's a short little page on germ cells, and a page on development of mammalian gonads and a page on gamete production in humans and a page on the ethics of using stem cells to develope gametes. Apparently this topic has been the focus of disscussion and consideration before the experiment was done.

Great, another outlet for the rich, arrogant and narcisstic to breed more of themselves. We'll see plenty of use of this in Hollywood and professional sports. Celebrity "couples" whose children look exactly like only one of the "parents".

In this process, there's no concern of genetic issues like inbreeding causes is there? Since it's not really a copy of a copy, when they're cracking open the basic building blocks?

Still, when you can build a human to fit an individual's desires, you will build to those fleeting desires. Something is lost, a uniqueness, and that random chance that leads to evolution. And with that loss, so goes some of the intrinsic "value" of life. Why try real hard to protect a unique individual when you can pretty much create another one? Hollywood already creates and discards individuals to capitalize on quick entertainment trends. What happens to individuals who are created on these whims from birth? having all the same legal rights isn't quite the same as the stigma of being created as a pseudo clone when it's no longer fashionable or when society's stigmas are more pronounced.

Originally posted by malcr
So a female virgin could have a child.......... I wonder if the end of the world folks can find a link to the number 666 with Sheffield Uni or one of the inevitable protest groups ?

I must have missed something in those articles as I don't see how this could lead to a female virgin having a child. I think it's intresting to note that similar research results were announced from both Australia and the U.K. at the same time and that the U.K. announcement got all the publicity, while the Aussie research apparently has made the most progress.

If you look at the Guardian link, it seems to suggest that would, in fact, be possible.

Of course any offspring only from a woman's DNA could only create another woman, whether a clone or a "child by yourself" for lack of a better term made possible with this technology.