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Sperm cells reportedly made from stem cells
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Scientists in England have reportedly made sperm cells from human embryonic stem cells. This is a first for reproductive cells, and, if true, the story is huge, both inside and outside of science.
Sperm and egg cells, known collectively as germ cells, can be considered the ultimate stem cell. After all, it is the combination of both germ cells that begin the spark of life; from those two cells an entire human is formed. In fact, as germ cells create more sperm or eggs in the developing fetus, they are considered completely immortal cells, ones that can be traced back to our very first ancestors.
But until now, no one had been able to create germ cells from stem cells. The trick was to use embryonic stem cells that were of the XY (or male) variety. From those, Professor Karim Nayernia of Newcastle University, was able to create viable sperm cells. Using stem cells from XX (or female) lines could not be made into sperm cells—a fact that is not completely unsurprising. The failure with the XX cells showed that the Y chromosome was absolutely essential for sperm development.
As mentioned in a previous article, infertility studies seem to focus primarily on the female aspect. However, by having access to lab-made sperm, more intensive studies can be conducted for male infertility. Nayernia stated, "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. This understanding could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child which is genetically their own." [EurekAlert]
There is also the hope that the sperm can be used to study how genetic diseases are passed from one generation to the next. While there are very few genetic disorders that are linked solely to the Y-chromosome, being able to create a large amount of sperm in the lab may be a unique way to design inheritance models. Between infertility and genetic disorders, the creation of the sperm cells may prove one of the most important in the long string of recent discoveries utilizing stem cells.
Of course, bioethicists are already scrambling to comment on the paper published in Stem Cells and Development. As the process utilized embryonic stem cells, a very familiar argument was raised. Josephine Quintavalle from Comment on Reproductive Ethics said, "It's taking one life in order to perhaps create another. I'm very much in favour of curing infertility but I don't think you can do whatever you like." [BBC]
There is also the question of how this sperm can be used. Under current UK law, it cannot be used for fertilization, but such an action was never an intention of the Newcastle group. "While we can understand that some people may have concerns, this does not mean that humans can be produced 'in a dish' and we have no intention of doing this. This work is a way of investigating why some people are infertile and the reasons behind it. If we have a better understanding of what's going on it could lead to new ways of treating infertility," added Professor Nayernia. [EurekAlert]
However, besides ethical debate, some are not even convinced the cells were sperm at all. “Dr Allan Pacey, a sperm biologist at the University of Sheffield, said he was not convinced the sperm were fully developed. ‘The quality of the images is not of sufficiently high resolution and I would need more data. They are early sperm, but functional tests would be needed to know exactly what has been achieved.’" [BBC]
Nayernia has stated that it will take at least five years for the process to be perfected. In the mean time, expect considerable fallout from this study—both good and bad. With hope, it will stimulate further stem cell discoveries that may lead to an aid to infertility problems. But it does open a whole new wave of ethical dispute, one that is not likely to die down anytime soon.
More science news: Caffeine reverses memory loss in Alzheimer's mice * Schizophrenia linked to the immune system * Daily sex helps improve fertility * More
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