Sperm grown in laboratory raise hopes of male infertility treatments
Mouse sperm were grown using a technique that could also help preserve the fertility of boys undergoing cancer treatment
A human egg surrounded by sperm. The new technique could one day create sperm for men who can't make them normally. Photograph: Rich Frishman/Getty
Scientists have grown sperm in the laboratory in a landmark study that could help preserve the fertility of cancer patients and shed fresh light on male reproductive problems.Fertility experts called the work a "crucial experimental advance" towards the use of lab-grown sperm in the clinic and a stepping stone to the routine creation of human sperm for men who cannot make the cells normally. Though the procedure would be illegal in Britain under current legislation, sperm grown in the laboratory, if proven safe, could be used to help infertile men have children through standard IVF treatments. The procedure could also benefit boys with cancer who are too young to produce sperm but are at risk of being made infertile by radio- or chemotherapy.
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