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In a paper published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, Ellie Adassi, a professor of medical sciences at Brown University, Glenn Cohen, a professor at Harvard Law School, and George Daley, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, discuss the theoretical implications and ethical implications of creating sperm and eggs in laboratory petri dishes, the so-called "in vitro matching" (IVG) technology.
recent experiments have shown that scientists can use IVG technology in laboratory mice, according to a new paper.
, however, due to a number of technical barriers, human matching can not be made from other human cells, IVG is not currently possible in the human body.
"Advances in reproductive medicine and regenerative medicine are beyond our imagination, and in the near future scientists may be able to create human sperm and eggs in laboratory petri dishes, a possibility that could offer hope for the treatment of infertility, but also raise huge ethical issues, such as 'designing babies', and we should now plan ahead, conduct extensive and in-depth research, and propose appropriate management measures," the authors wrote.
ivG in laboratory mice refers to the use of erypotent stem cells to make sperm and egg cells in laboratory petri dishes.
these erypotent stem cells may be embryonic stem cells, or induce erythmatic stem cells (iPS cells).
scientists reprogrammed "adult" cells, such as skin cells, to "transform" them into iPS cells, which can once again become multiple types of cells.
recently reported several successful examples of IVG in mice.
in 2016, Japanese scientists reported that they were able to reproduce the complete process of egg production in laboratory petri dishes.
Reprogrammed embryonic stem cells or iPS cells in laboratory mice to turn them into primitive reproductive cells, then mixed them with other cells that supported mouse egg development to create an "ovary" in a laboratory petri dish, and then added a variety of hormones and other compounds to the petri dish to induce them to develop into egg cells.
these egg cells bind to sperm and hatch a group of healthy young mice.
addition, in February 2016, Chinese scientists for the first time achieved in-body differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells and obtained functional sperm cells, which were successfully used to reproduce mouse offspring.
In the experiment, Professor Sha Jiahao of Nanjing Medical University and Professor Zhou Qi of the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Zhao Xiaoyang (now the Southern Medical University) and others selected embryonic stem cells from mice, guided them with chemicals, hormones and testicular tissue, and then injected them into mouse eggs through artificial insemination, successfully fertilized the eggs and bred healthy mouse offspring.
so in theory, scientists could use IVG to make human sperm and eggs from adult skin cells.
"Scientific breakthroughs have shown that by continually optimizing experiments, scientists can use human stem cells to create eggs and sperm in the laboratory in the near future," Adassi, Cohen and Daley said in their paper.
" benefits and controversies coexist, Cohen said that if IVG technology is used in humans, it will revolutionized the way doctors treat infertility through in viscera (IVF).
currently, women with fertility problems may turn to IVF, during which they typically receive several weeks of hormone injections to stimulate egg production and then have the egg surgically obtained.
ivG does not require these steps, and if a woman is unable to use her own eggs, she does not need to find an egg donor.
this method also produces large numbers of eggs and sperm cells, making it easier for researchers to study the development of embryos and certain diseases and to deepen scientific understanding of reproductive cells.
but IVG can also raise new ethical questions.
, for example, clinics may create dozens of eggs or embryos for clients, allowing parents to pick out "ideal" embryos, reinforcing concerns about "designing babies."
, IVG may allow people to use single-person cells to produce sperm and eggs, creating "single-parent babies."
However, scientists do not yet know whether cells from men can produce eggs or vice versa, and whether "single-parent babies" have the same health problems as both parents;
also stressed that some of the worrying scenarios mentioned in the paper may require a deeper understanding of human genetics if they are to become a reality.
, even at this stage, we should discuss the ethical issues that IVG may cause.
"