could lead to new treatment for male infertility. The sperm was grown
in a laboratory in Newcastle, England, from embryonic stem cells. Led
by Professor Karim Nayernia, the researchers developed a method of
growing early-stage sperm from human embryonic stem cells by using
retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative. They found that about 20 per
cent of the cells produced early-stage sperm cells or spermatagonia
and, after further culture, they could see a number of cells continue
to split and divide. The breakthrough, they said, came when some cells
continued to grow, elongating and growing a tail that caused them to
move, and forming recognisable sperm cells. Professor Nayernia of
Newcastle University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute
(Nesci) described the cells as "fully mature, functional" sperm, which
he called In Vitro Derived (IVD) sperm.
'Need better evidence'
Professor Robin Lovell Badge from the U.K.'s Medical Research Council
Institute of Medical Research said, "The findings need much better
evidence that such in-vitro derived sperm are normal." But he added
that any progress by the team "will be very important for research"
and "ultimately, although definitely not yet, fertility treatments."
Professor Nayernia responded by saying that his research paper was
clearly labelled a "proof of principle," which concluded that it was
in its early stages and further research was needed. He said: "We are
not claiming this research is complete but we are saying that we have
found human sperm." He added that his findings would not lead to human
beings being produced "in a dish," but were rather "a way of
investigating why some people are infertile and the reasons behind
it." — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2009
The Hindu, July 9
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