Hope to cure infertility from artificial sperm

Professor Karim Nayernia .
(Photo: BBC)

Scientists have shown for the first time that human sperm from embryonic stem cells can be used to create offspring.

Professor Karim Nayernia and colleagues at Georg-August University in Göttingen - Germany, took stem cells from a mouse embryo just a few days old, and raised these cells in the lab.

Process of creating germs in the laboratory.(Photo: BBC)

Using a special screening device, they isolated some stem cells that began to grow like a sperm. The team stimulated them to become mature sperm, and inject some of these sperm into female mouse egg cells.

The "fertilized" eggs grew, and were transplanted back into female mice, giving birth to seven baby mice.

"This is the first time we have created life using artificial sperm. This will help better understand the process of sperm formation in men and why some people cannot do it." , Professor Nayernia, who works at Newcastle University, UK, said.

The research team believes that future mice may also be true for humans, and will help couples who are infertile (due to a husband's problem) have children.

Of the 7 baby mice created, 6 were grown to adulthood. However, these mice developed anomalies and encountered other problems, such as difficult breathing. In addition to safety concerns, the use of embryonic stem cells to produce sperm also poses moral problems.

T. An