Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells


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Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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By Alice Park Wednesday, Jul. 08, 2009

http://www.time.com/time/health/article ... digg_share" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Researchers at Newcastle University in England report they have coaxed the first human sperm cells from embryonic stem cells, in a remarkable demonstration of how quickly the field of stem-cell science is moving.

The achievement, described in the journal Stem Cells and Development, comes just 11 years after the first human-embryonic-stem-cell line was created — an eyeblink in scientific terms — in the lab of James Thomson at the University of Wisconsin.
(See the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2008.)


Although the development once again raises the specter of creating humans in a petri dish or custom-designing egg and sperm cells for reproduction, lead author Karim Nayernia says that was not his team's intention. Rather, the experiment was a proof of concept that stem cells can generate any cell in the body — not only the dozens of tissues that make up the human body but also those egg and sperm cells that may give rise to altogether new bodies. "Other cell types don't generate the next generation," says Nayernia, a professor of stem-cell biology at Newcastle University. "This makes a very big difference between our study and the study of other cell types from embryonic stem cells."

Nayernia's in vitro–derived sperm, or IVD sperm, are not exactly like naturally occurring sperm, though they do bear four important similarities to the cells created in the testes. They contain half the number of chromosomes of other human cells (somatic cells contain 46 chromosomes, but egg and sperm cells have only 23, since they combine their genetic payloads during fertilization); they possess a head and a tail; they contain proteins essential for activating the egg during fertilization; and they swim, or move as sperm do in seeking out eggs to fertilize.

On the outside, however, IVD sperm are not identical to normal sperm. "We think, for normal structure development, sperm needs the testes environment," says Nayernia. It takes 15 to 16 years in the testes before the primordial germ cells that morph into spermatogonia, or a primitive precursor of the germ cells, are able to mature into sperm cells that can successfully fertilize an egg.

IVD sperm are not ready for transplantation into human patients — in any case, British law prohibits their transplantation into people — but they may provide valuable clues to the causes of male infertility. Nayernia's group is now working on creating sperm from the skin cells of infertile men (the sperm cells in the current study were generated from embryos discarded by fertility clinics), and by studying the way those sperm develop, researchers may gain insight into the origins of infertility and potential new treatments. Theoretically, for example, if sperm could be created from the cells of a cancer patient who is rendered infertile by chemotherapy, they could be grown in a lab and still enable him to father children.

"This area has potential powerful clinical applications mixed with people's concerns over embryo research," says Insoo Hyun, a bioethicist at Case Western Reserve University who specializes in stem-cell-related ethical issues. "All the ingredients are there for a really, really lively ethical debate."

For now, the IVD cells allow researchers to witness the normal development of sperm for the first time. "In the human, sperm development is a very long process," Nayernia says. "It takes more than 15 years and is not an accessible system. With this system, we can now watch that development in three months."

That's how long it took Nayernia's team to nurture sperm from embryonic stem cells, using a special cocktail of growth factors, nutrients and retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A. It is worth noting that researchers could generate IVD sperm only from male embryos; when they tried using stem cells from a female embryo, they were unable to get sperm to mature past the spermatogonial stage. That suggests that genes located on the Y chromosome, which female cells do not contain, may be essential for triggering the maturation of the primitive sperm cell.

It's unclear whether IVD sperm may eventually be able to fertilize an egg successfully — the ultimate measure of similarity between IVD sperm and normal sperm. (Nayernia is currently testing whether mouse eggs fertilized with IVD sperm can lead to a healthy animal.) If the researcher can generate human IVD sperm that look like normally developed sperm and can get the artificially created germ cells to fertilize an egg, then he can allow the resulting embryo to develop for 14 days — according to U.K. law, embryos created for research purposes must be destroyed at that point. "We would need to study that embryo before we provide any clinical applications," he says.

That might seem more like science fiction than reality, but given the pace of stem-cell research, it may not be that far off. "We have the potential therapeutic use of a technology that pushes the boundaries of what people feel comfortable with ethically," says Hyun. With more advances like this one likely to come in months if not weeks, that comfort level will have to catch up quickly.
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Fascinating. Lots of interesting stuff in there. Naturally I worry about the consequences of such research, because, let's face it there are alot of stupid people out there, but I like the idea of a new way to help infertility and research sperm develepment. There was an interesting bit about sperm only being made this way with male stem cells. (So we are useful after all). :)
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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I say the first people we clone are Salma Hayek, Marilyn Monroe and Monica Bellucci :)
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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:? Umm... No, we need Frank Herbert!
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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GamePlayer wrote:I say the first people we clone are Salma Hayek, Marilyn Monroe and Monica Bellucci :)
Sexy time!
SadisticCynic wrote::? Umm... No, we need Frank Herbert!
Too bad we probably won't have a means to restore memories by the time human cloning is possible.
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Couldn't one of the scientists just have had a wank into a pot? I'm sure that would have been a quicker way of getting some sperm.
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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:lol:
It is worth noting that researchers could generate IVD sperm only from male embryos; when they tried using stem cells from a female embryo, they were unable to get sperm to mature past the spermatogonial stage. That suggests that genes located on the Y chromosome, which female cells do not contain, may be essential for triggering the maturation of the primitive sperm cell.
D'uh? :roll:
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Apparently there's already some super-feminists and others taking this breakthrough to the extreme and wondering "Do we really need men anymore?" Unfortunately I can't find any strong examples, but I have seen quite a few discussions popping up and a few facetious articles.
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Redstar wrote:Apparently there's already some super-feminists and others taking this breakthrough to the extreme and wondering "Do we really need men anymore?" Unfortunately I can't find any strong examples, but I have seen quite a few discussions popping up and a few facetious articles.
Right, and who will bring out the garbage then?
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Serkanner wrote:
Redstar wrote:Apparently there's already some super-feminists and others taking this breakthrough to the extreme and wondering "Do we really need men anymore?" Unfortunately I can't find any strong examples, but I have seen quite a few discussions popping up and a few facetious articles.
Right, and who will bring out the garbage then?
The newly bred race of semi-sentient bipedal penises that they've just commissioned from a Brazilian Gene Lab.
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Redstar wrote:Apparently there's already some super-feminists and others taking this breakthrough to the extreme and wondering "Do we really need men anymore?" Unfortunately I can't find any strong examples, but I have seen quite a few discussions popping up and a few facetious articles.
Yeah, but it would be wrong for men to think about the Bene Tleilax way around it. :roll: Besides, they still require the Y chromosome. Personally, I wonder how they got the cell to develop as a haploid cell, unless they grow it as diploid and then can stimulate meiosis... (which actually sounds quite cool).
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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inhuien wrote:The newly bred race of semi-sentient bipedal penises that they've just commissioned from a Brazilian Gene Lab.
:lol: Bring on Flesh Gordon and the penisauri! :P

Ahem:

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(Um, probably not safe for work!!!)
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Redstar wrote:Apparently there's already some super-feminists and others taking this breakthrough to the extreme and wondering "Do we really need men anymore?" Unfortunately I can't find any strong examples, but I have seen quite a few discussions popping up and a few facetious articles.

Well this woman says HE--CK YES! We still need men. Good, honest men. And yes I still believe a few of y'all out there can fit that catagory. ;)

But yes. Man + Woman = good
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Baraka Bryan wrote:
Eyes High wrote:
Redstar wrote:Apparently there's already some super-feminists and others taking this breakthrough to the extreme and wondering "Do we really need men anymore?" Unfortunately I can't find any strong examples, but I have seen quite a few discussions popping up and a few facetious articles.

Well this woman says HE--CK YES! We still need men. Good, honest men. And yes I still believe a few of y'all out there can fit that catagory. ;)

But yes. Man + Woman = good

QFT
Penis + Vagina = Meh
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Whatever + Whatever = Fine by me as long as I don't have to watch or participate when I'm not in the mood. :D

(Seriously, any deity that has enough time to worry about who's stickin' what in whose hole(s) obviously isn't getting enough Itself. :lol: )
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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SandChigger wrote:...when I'm not in the mood.
I hear that happens when you get older.
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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I've heard that, too. Guess we'll have to wait until 'Rider pops by again and ask him. :P

(Honestly, I'm pretty much in the mood all the time. If I had a dollar for every time the Bint has asked me, "Don't you EVER think of anything else?!" I could retire a rich, rich man. :D )

(And kick her butt out and find me a twenty-sompthin! :lol: )
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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SandChigger wrote:Whatever + Whatever = Fine by me as long as I don't have to watch or participate when I'm not in the mood. :D

(Seriously, any deity that has enough time to worry about who's stickin' what in whose hole(s) obviously isn't getting enough Itself. :lol: )
I second this, but prefer that both the "whatevers" are either human, or in-animate.
:wink:
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Got pix? ;)
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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You know, some of y'all have some very dirty minds. :shifty:
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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You just now figurin' that out? :shock:

:P
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Eyes High wrote:You know, some of y'all have some very dirty minds. :shifty:
Only some, that means that there is hope for the others. :)
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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SadisticCynic wrote::? Umm... No, we need Frank Herbert!
And Tolkien
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Re: Scientists Create Human Sperm from Stem Cells

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Baliset wrote:
SadisticCynic wrote::? Umm... No, we need Frank Herbert!
And Tolkien
:oops: How did I forget?
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