Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

John Birdsall/Press Association Images via PA Images
Fertility

Scientists grow sperm in laboratory

Japanese researchers have cultivated sperm from the testes of baby mice.

SPERM HAS BEEN grown in a laboratory by Japanese researchers.

The landmark study by Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine could help cancer patients to preserve their fertility, as well as give a new insight into male reproductive problem, The Guardian reports.

The study has been hailed as a “crucial experimental advance” towards the use of lab-grown sperm by fertility experts.

The findings could possibly be used to help infertile men have children through standard IVF treatments, and benefit boys with cancer who are are at risk of being made infertile by treatments but are too young to produce sperm.

The researchers cultivated small pieces of tissue from the testes of baby mice on a gel bathed in nutrients and after several weeks they were able to collect viable sperm from the tissue.

The sperm were used in IVF treatments to produce 12 live mouse pups that later had offspring of their own.

Because the sperm was taken from tissue that was cultivated after being frozen for up to 25 days, there is a possibility that cold storage did not harm the cells. The work was reported in the journal, Nature.

Read more in the article by Ian Sample in today’s Guardian newspaper>

Your Voice
Readers Comments
3
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.