Researchers created human eggs from skin cells, potentially transforming ECO Treatment of pairs that have no other options.
The work is at an early stage, but if scientists can improve the process, it would provide genetically bound eggs for women who are barren from older, illness or medical treatment. The same procedure can be used to make eggs for same -sex male couples.
“The largest group of patients who can benefit will be women with a high level of maternal age,” said Professor Shurat Mitaripov, who led the study in Oregon Health And a scientific university in Portland. “Another group is those who have passed chemotherapy, because it can affect their ability to have viable eggs.”
While women should be the main beneficiaries, skin cells used so that eggs should not come from potential mothers. “In this study, we used female skin cells, but you could also use skin cells in men,” said Mitaripov The Guardian. “You can make eggs for men, and, of course, it would be applicable to same -sex couples.”
The work is based on cloning, which became a pioneer in the 1990s at the Roslin Institute in Scotland. Team led by The late Yang Wilmut The transfer of nuclear nuclear cells is used to create Dolly sheepThe process turned on the process of plucking the nucleus from the adult sheep cage and its placement in a sheep egg, in which its own nucleus was removed. The resulting egg was postponed on time in Dolly's surrogate mother.
The Oregon staff took a similar approach, collecting skin cells in women and removing the core from each. The core contains 46 chromosomes, which carry about 20,000 genes that make up the genetic code of the person. Each core of the skin cells was placed in a healthy donor egg, which had its own core.
The main problem that scientists faced was that healthy human eggs contain only 23 chromosomes. Another 23 arrive in sperm for fertilization and is necessary for the fertilized egg to turn into an embryo and, ultimately, a child.
Writing c Natural connectionThe Oregon team described how they overcome the problem of excess chromosomes. After fertilization of the egg with sperm, they activated them using a compound called luxury. This led to the fact that the eggs moved about half of their chromosomes into a structure called the polar body, leaving the remaining chromosomes in combination with sperm.
In a healthy, fertilized human egg, 23 chromosomes from the mother are combined with 23 from the father. But the Oregon team found that the chromosomes in their eggs are divided and randomly mated. This led to embryos at an early stage with the wrong amount of chromosomes and incorrect combinations of chromosomes.
“These abnormal chromosomal additions do not expect what will lead to a healthy child,” said Professor Paula Amato, co-author of the study in Oregon. The team is working on ways to improve the process.
Of the 82 eggs created in the Oregon laboratory, less than 10% developed at the stage when Eco embryos are usually transmitted to the mother’s womb, which suggests that the process is not especially effective. No one was cultivated in six days.
Mitaripov called the work “proof of the concept” with a lot of problems ahead. Improving the technique and demonstration of its safety in patients can take another decade. “I think it will be more complicated than what we have done over the years, but this is not impossible,” he said.
Other scientists praised a breakthrough. Professor Richard Anderson from the University of Edinburgh said: “Many women cannot have a family because they have lost their eggs, which can occur for a number of reasons, including after the treatment of cancer. The ability to generate new eggs will be serious progress. There will be very important safety problems, but this study is a step in the direction of assistance to many women in their own genetic children. ”
Professor Yin Chong from the University of Southampton said: “In practice, clinicians see more and more people who cannot use their eggs, often because of age or medical conditions. Although this is still very early laboratory work, in the future it can transform how we understand infertility and throwing out and, perhaps, one day open the door to create egg or stone cells for those who have no other options. ”
Professor Roger Sturmay from the University of Khalla said that science is “impressive”, but emphasized the need for “open dialogue” with the public about achievements in the field of reproductive research, adding: “such breakthroughs as this impression is the need for reliable management, to ensure the accountability and strengthening of public confidence.”
