Sperm made from human bone marrow
May 02, 2007
SCIENTISTS say they have successfully made immature sperm cells from human bone marrow samples. If these can be grown into fully developed sperm, which the researchers hope to do within five years, they may be useful in fertility treatments.
SCIENTISTS say they have successfully made immature sperm cells from human bone marrow samples. If these can be grown into fully developed sperm, which the researchers hope to do within five years, they may be useful in fertility treatments.
But experts have warned the findings from the German study should be interpreted with caution at this very early stage. And government issued a fertility White Paper proposing a ban on using artificially created sperm or eggs in assisted reproduction.
The researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and Münster and the Medical School of Hannover isolated adult stem cells — cells that have the ability to become many types of tissue in the body — from bone marrow samples taken from male volunteers. They then induced a small number of them to develop into what appeared to be spermatagonial cells — cells found in the testes which would normally develop into mature sperm cells.
Lead researcher Professor Karim Nayernia, said the next goal is to see spermatagonial cells can be got to progress to mature sperm in the laboratory. He said this should take around three to five years of experiments.
The findings were presented at an international fertility conference and are published in Gamete Biology: Emerging Frontiers on Fertility and Contraceptive Development.
But experts have warned the findings from the German study should be interpreted with caution at this very early stage. And government issued a fertility White Paper proposing a ban on using artificially created sperm or eggs in assisted reproduction.
The researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and Münster and the Medical School of Hannover isolated adult stem cells — cells that have the ability to become many types of tissue in the body — from bone marrow samples taken from male volunteers. They then induced a small number of them to develop into what appeared to be spermatagonial cells — cells found in the testes which would normally develop into mature sperm cells.
Lead researcher Professor Karim Nayernia, said the next goal is to see spermatagonial cells can be got to progress to mature sperm in the laboratory. He said this should take around three to five years of experiments.
The findings were presented at an international fertility conference and are published in Gamete Biology: Emerging Frontiers on Fertility and Contraceptive Development.