Scientists create mice from two dads after making eggs from skin cells
JAPAN — Scientists have created mice with two biologically male parents for the first time – a significant milestone in reproductive biology.
The team, led by Katsuhiko Hayashi, a professor of genome biology at Osaka University in Japan, generated eggs from the skin cells of male mice that, when implanted in female mice, went on to produce healthy pups, according to research published March 15 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.
The proof-of-concept research, the culmination of years of pain-staking lab work, could expand the possibilities for future fertility treatments, including for same-sex couples, and perhaps help prevent the extinction of endangered animals.
However, scientists warn there’s still much to learn before cultured cells can be used to make human eggs in a lab dish.
“It is expected that application into humans takes a long time, maybe 10 years or more. Even if it is applied, we never know whether the eggs are safe enough to produce (a) baby,” Hayashi said.
Continue reading “IT’S A MAN’S WORLD HAS NEW MEANING”
