Solution To Infertility? Scientists Create And Fertilize Eggs From Human Skin Cells
The scientists behind the experiment stated that this development brings humanity one step closer to establishing an alternative to IVF.
Scientists reported that they created egg cells from human skin cells which were capable of getting fertilised, according to a research report published in Nature Communications on Tuesday. The eggs were successfully fertilised with sperm cells with some exhibiting the capability to develop into early-stage embryos. They were not used to establish a pregnancy with researchers not seeing much potential to develop any further.
The scientists behind the article stated that this development brings humanity one step closer to establishing an alternative to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). It could also complement IVF treatment for those whose egg quality has deteriorated or are unable to produce eggs due to genetic anomalies or advancing age would be able to use this technology in the future to have children, the researchers told Wired.
This discovery could also be used by same sex couples who wish to have genetically similar children by making eggs from male cells and sperm from female cells, they said.
The researchers created 82 eggs which formed embryos with chromosomal abnormalities and most did not last beyond the third day of fertilisation. Close to 9% did survive past this stage and were about to enter the "blastocyst" stage of development six days after fertilisation. This is the stage in IVF where the embryo is usually sent to a human womb to gestate further. The scientists stopped culturing them after this point.
The artificial egg was created by hollowing out a donated ovum, removing its nucleus which contains the cell's genetic data, the nucleus of a skin cell was then transplanted into it. This lead to it having extra chromosomes as a skin cell has 46 chromosomes from each parent while sperm and egg cells have 23.
A skin cells has chromosomes from both parents, whereas the reproductive cells on their own only had chromosomes from one. The scientists tried to solve this problem by inducing cell division via the use of an electric pulse and a drug called roscovitine.
The technology had reached its limits here as the resulting eggs did not have the right amount of chromosomes with some having too many, and others having too few and the rest having the wrong combination. The team told Wired that "they were not quite there yet."
