Scientists Create Sperm From Embryonic Stem Cells

By Ed Martinez

July 8, 2009

A team of scientists from the New Castle University and North East England Stem Cell Institute have developed a new technique that has led to the creation of human sperm in a laboratory setting.

This development will make it possible for scientists to gain a better understanding of the causes of infertility. “This is an important development as it will allow researchers to study in detail how sperm forms and lead to a better understanding of infertility in men—why it happens and what is causing it. This understanding could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child which is genetically their own,” said Professor Karim Nayernia, professor of Stem Cell Biology at Newcastle University in England.

Nayernia is leading the team of researchers and said that the new discovery can potentially lead to other medical breakthroughs. By studying the process of forming sperm, scientists can have a better understanding of how genetic diseases are passed. Scientists can also begin to research how the cells involved in reproduction are affected by toxins, for example, why those with leukemia become infertile for life after being exposed to chemotherapy treatments.

So how was this accomplished?  In the technique developed at Newcastle University, stem cells with male chromosomes were developed into germline stem cells, which caused cell division with halving of the chromosome set. These were shown to produce fully mature sperm, called in scientific terms, In Vitro Derived sperm or IVD sperm.

The discovery is of historic proportion, and raises the usual questions associated with stem cell research—is it ethical, or can humans now be grown?  Nayernia said, “While we can understand that some people may have concerns, this does not mean that humans can be produced in a dish, and we have no intention of doing this. This work is a way of investigating why some people are infertile and the reasons behind it.” 

Professor Nayernia believes that it will most likely be a decade before we can benefit from this research. He strongly encourages legislation be put in place sooner rather than later to allow for the technique to be licensed as a treatment for infertile men in the future.