UK scientists from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne are working on a way to produce sperm cells from bone marrow. They feel it may be possible in time to enable men, incapable of producing sperm, to have their own offspring. Following successful production of pre-sperm cells from the stem cells within men’s bone marrow, the research is now turning attention to producing similar results from women’s. The prospects for this research are profound: if successful, it may allow lesbian couples to have their own biological offspring. Moreover, any children from this process would invariably be female, as a male sperm with a Y chromosome is necessary for male development.

The prospects for this research continuing are hanging, as expected, on the question of ethics. Professor Karim Nayernia of the university has said,

The problem is whether the sperm cells are functional or not. I don’t think there is an ethical barrier, so long as it’s safe. We are in the process of applying for ethical approval. We are preparing now to apply to use the existing bone marrow stem cell bank here in Newcastle. We need permission from the patient who supplied the bone marrow, the ethics committee and the hospital itself.

German researchers were able to create viable artificial sperm from mice last year that did result in live offspring; the math works, but Prof. Nayerina estimates that it will be another three to five years before his labs can coax human spermatagonial stem cells to progress to mature sperm in the laboratory.

The prospect of all-female conception [news.independent.co.uk]

(image: research.unc.edu)