ISLAMABAD: A Japanese researcher announced at a major genetics conference that he had created eggs from male mouse cells.
The research, which is still in its early stages, involved converting male XY chromosomes to female XX chromosomes. Prof Katsuhiko Hayashi of Osaka University is researching fertility treatments.
The discovery, which he has submitted to the scientific journal Nature for publication, raises the possibility of male couples having their own children.
Prof George Daley of Harvard Medical School, who is not involved with the study, believes that society has a long way to go before such a decision is made.
‘Hayashi’s work is unpublished but fascinating,’ he said. [Doing this on humans] is more difficult than doing it on mice. He claimed that we don’t know enough about the unique biology of human gametogenesis (the formation of reproductive cells) to replicate Hayashi’s provocative work in mice.
Details were revealed at the Crick Institute’s human gene-editing summit in London. Prof Hayashi, a globally recognised expert in the field, told meeting attendees that the work was in its early stages. He claimed that the eggs were of poor quality and that the technique could not be used safely on humans at this time.
However, he told the BBC that current issues could be resolved in ten years and that if it is proven to be safe to use, he would like to see it accessible as a fertility treatment for both male and female and same-sex couples.
The procedure begins with removing a skin cell from a male mouse and then transforming it into a stem cell – a cell that can differentiate into other types of cells. Because the cells are male, they have XY chromosomes. Prof Katsuhiko’s team then removes the Y chromosome, duplicates the X chromosome, and joins the two X’s. This modification enables the stem cell to be programmed to become an egg.
Women who are unable to produce their own eggs
The method could be used to assist infertile couples in which the women are unable to produce their own eggs. He stressed, however, that it was a long way from becoming a fertility treatment. He claims that there are numerous issues with egg quality in mice. So, before we can consider it as a fertility treatment, we must first overcome these issues, which could take a long time. Prof Hayashi stated that he would not support a man using his own sperm and artificially created eggs to create a child.
Prof Amander Clark, a stem cell scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, believes that the LBGTQ community should have a say in the use of reproductive technology. When it comes to having a family, the LGBTQ community has special requirements.
Based on current research using laboratory models to develop the technology, same-sex reproduction may be possible in the future.
However, this technology is not currently available for human use, its security and effectiveness have not been proven, and it is unclear how long it will take to reach the clinic.
There is still much to learn about the human germ line, and fundamental knowledge gaps are preventing this research from being translated to humans.
