Science
Thousands of infertile men, including those who defeated cancer as children, are now able to have children of their own. And all this is thanks to an amazing experiment by scientists who were able to recreate male sperm cells at their initial stage of development from human skin tissue cells. This discovery promises a new approach to solving fertilization problems, which can be used not only to make a cure for infertility, but also to create extremely effective ones contraceptives.
However, according to many experts, it is necessary to bear in mind the moral and ethical side of the issue when it comes to this method of combating infertility. Critics say that it is not good to interfere with your changes in the current pattern of the birth of a new life, warning of the imminent arrival of a future in which children will be born exclusively artificially.
Scientists have already been successful in turning embryonic stem cells “extracted” from embryos in their first days of life into artificial sperm cells. Using leather as a starting material, on the other hand, seems more ethically acceptable.
In addition, these spermatozoa contain the genes of a male donor. In this study, American scientists used a whole blend of substances to reverse the biological clock, giving skin cells the characteristics of embryonic stem cells.
Scientists then used a combination of nutrients to force these cells to develop into round cells; the latter are not far from mature sperm cells, which will be perfect genetically normal.
Scientists led by Dr. James Easley of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine believe that humanity has managed to understand the most difficult stage in the mysterious process of forming a mature male sex cells.
Today, after making some changes to this process, it will be quite easy to obtain the next stage — oblong cells that, when they form tails, will be able to fertilize ovum.
Despite a successful experiment to create artificial sperm, this fertilization technique needs many more years before its practical use in clinics. The main problem, according to experts, is that growing sperm in laboratory conditions is punishable by law in many countries.