Creating babies from scratch in a lab may soon be possible thanks to a new breakthrough.
This is claimed by researchers in Japan who succeeded in breeding mice by producing eggs and sperm which were then placed in an artificial womb.
– But it is not only a question for the scientific program, but also for society. says Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi, of Kyushu University, to The Guardian.
According to the new study, published in the journal Nature, the Japanese research team has managed to transform skin cells from male mice into female cells and thereby produce functional egg cells. And now it is believed that the experiment could potentially have an important meaning for reproduction among us humans.
“It is a very smart strategy. It is an important step in both stem cell and reproductive biology,” says Diana Laird, a stem cell and reproductive expert at the University of California, in a comment on the study.
Scientists have previously been able to produce human eggs and sperm according to the same principle, but they have not been able to create actual embryos. But Katsuhiko Hayashi and his colleagues have now bred seven mice using skin cells from a male mouse to form a viable egg which was then fertilized.
Possible in five years
Among other things, the breakthrough is considered to pave the way for gay men to have biological children in the future, and Katsuhiko Hayashi estimates that in five years it will be possible to recreate egg-like cell production in humans. However, the method must be tested before it can be considered safe to use in clinics, which is expected to take between ten and 20 years, writes The Guardian.
If the technology proves to work in humans, it will also be of great help to those struggling with infertility – a condition that affects one in six people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Requires ethical considerations
However, the method requires a series of ethical and legal positions and discussions. There is, for example, a concern that the method would open the door even further to the possibility of “designing” babies with special characteristics.
There is also a risk of DNA being stolen and babies being produced without people’s consent, writes the Daily Mail.