For the first time anywhere in the world, British scientists have created human sperm in the laboratory. The extraordinary development, which until a few years ago belonged in the realms of science fiction, raises ethical questions over the safety of the procedure and the threat it poses to the future role of men.
Researchers led by Professor Karim Nayernia at Newcastle University and the NorthEast England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) have developed a new technique which has made the creation of human sperm possible in the laboratory. The sperm were created in a test tube, from stem cells derived from a five-day-old male embryo. The work was published on 8 July 2009 in the academic journal Stem Cells and Development, which is made up of the Newcastle and Durham Universities along with the Newcastle NHS Foundation.
Professor Nayernia said the development would lead to a better understanding of why infertility happened in men, and what caused it.
‘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’, he said.
‘It will also allow scientists to study how cells involved in reproduction are affected by toxins, for example, why young boys with leukaemia who undergo chemotherapy can become infertile for life – and possibly lead us to a solution’, he added.
Professor Nayernia stressed the researchers had no intention of 'producing human life in a dish'.
However, the experiment has proved controversial, threatening to reopen the fierce debate over embryo research. It has also divided the scientific community over the merits of the research. Campaigners are questioning the ethics and fellow scientists querying its validity, despite describing the work itself as 'very important'.
Professor Peter Braude, head of the department of women's health in the division of reproduction and endocrinology at King's College London, said:
‘The law specifically does not allow artificially created sperm to be used to fertilise an egg for the sake of reproduction’. And even if the law is changed, he asks, 'What experiments are you going to do to make it safe?’ Citing Dolly the Sheep, Professor Braude points out that cloning has been shown to be unsafe, and there's no reason to suppose lab-created sperm will be any safer.
(See http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jul/09/sperm-laboratory-men)
Josephine Quintavalle, director of Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE), said that the research was 'totally wrong’.
‘This is man at his maddest. I think that sometimes we have to stop meddling and accept infertility. Science must be totally ethical and totally safe – this is neither’, she said.
‘Perfectly viable human embryos have been destroyed in order to create sperm over which there will be huge questions of their healthiness and viability.
'It's taking one life in order to perhaps create another. I'm very much in favour of curing infertility but I don't think you can do whatever you like', she added.
Some experts cast doubt on the claims from Newcastle, arguing that the cells did not constitute 'authentic' sperm with all the necessary biological characteristics.
(See http://www.scotsman.com/10964/Scientists-39unconvinced39-at-sperm-cell.5438536.jp)
Dr Allen Pacey, senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield and sperm biologist of 20 years standing, said:
‘It potentially could be a breakthrough, and I hope it is, but for me the jury is still out. It would be really good to be able to do this. I am very supportive of this kind of research.’
He wrote an article in The Guardian urging caution about the latest research.
(See http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/08/human-sperm-stem-cells)
Azim Surani, a professor of physiology and reproduction at Cambridge University, also said they were ‘sperm-like cells’ and ‘a long way from being authentic sperm cells’.
Under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008, using artificial sperm and eggs in fertility treatment is banned. It is legal to create sperm in the laboratory but to combine it with an egg to create an embryo for scientific research requires a licence. Even then the embryo must be destroyed within 14 days. There is an absolute ban on the use of artificial sperm and eggs used in fertility treatment as the HFEA scientists believe there are still ‘significant safety concerns’. The ethical concerns have yet to be decided on, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Dr Evan Harris MP, who tabled amendments to the 2008 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill on laboratory-made eggs and sperm said: ‘While the Newcastle team is not seeking at present to use stem cell derived sperm as a treatment for infertility, it is clearly a possible future application.’
In 2007, Professor Nayernia’s team of researchers has managed to produce immature spermatagonial cells from stem cells of both male and female origin. The results of the research have led him to speculate before that it might be conceivable to make female sperm.
(See http://www.nesci.ac.uk/news/item/early-stage-sperm-cells-created-from-human-bone-marrow)
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-create-testtube-sperm-1736207.html
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