Mice sperm grown in a lab produces baby mice

Jul 10 2006

In ground breaking research scientists have for the first time produced mice using sperm grown in the laboratory from embryonic stem cells.

A team of German scientists from the University of Gottingen isolated stem cells from very early mouse embryos, known as spermatogonial stem cells, and encouraged them to grow into adult sperm cells and then injected them into female mouse eggs.

As a result seven baby mice were born, six of which survived and developed into adult mice.

The mice however showed abnormal patterns of growth, and other problems, such as difficulty breathing.

Professor Karim Nayernia who headed the team says this is the first time it has been proven that it is possible to make mature sperm from stem cells.

Professor Nayernia believes the research has implications for improving the treatment of male infertility.

Stem cells are considered to be the master cells in the body and can transform themselves into other cell types; scientists believe they could act as a type of repair system to provide new treatments for illnesses ranging from diabetes to heart disease.

But stem cell research continues to be a controversial issue because the stem cells with the greatest therapeutic potential are found in early embryos.

Experts regard the research by the German team as a milestone and a possible window to a better understanding of male infertility.

They say the creation of viable sperm outside the body is a significant breakthrough and offers great potential for stem cell research and fertility treatments.

As many as one in every six couples worldwide experience some form of infertility and about 40 percent of such cases are linked to a problem in men.

A low sperm count, no sperm at all or poor movement or shape are some of the causes of male infertility.

Professor Nayernia who is now at Newcastle University in the UK, has been working on the research for three years and he and his team have created 400 embryos but only a handful resulted in live mice because of technical and developmental problems.

The study is published in the journal Developmental Cell.