Genesis Fertility Clinic Blog
searching: “embryonic stem cells”
November 12, 2009
Making eggs and sperm
In the National Post last week, there was an story titled “Scientists make cells that form eggs, sperm in lab.” Like so many medical headlines, it sounds much more promising and simple than the reality. Nevertheless, researchers out of the UK were able to make germ cell precursors (the cells from which eggs and sperm arise) out of embryonic stem cells.
You can read the full article in the National Post.
What’s important is that we are inching closer to understanding how eggs and sperm are produced in humans. This understanding can help us determine why some people don’t produce adequate numbers of eggs or sperm to be fertile, or why some people produce poor quality eggs or sperm which can also render them infertile. After that, then we can hopefully treat the underlying problem and help infertile couples. We are years away from such treatments, but it’s exciting to see progress being made in the right direction.
Dr. Beth Taylor, MD, FRCSC
Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility