Stem cells can become ‘normal sperm’

May 8, 2003 | Source: NewScientist.com news service

New research suggests it might be possible to take an individual’s cell, create embyronic stem cells from it by therapeutic cloning, and then derive healthy eggs or sperm from them for use in IVF.

The most obvious application would be to treat infertile women who cannot produce any eggs suitable for IVF, or men who cannot produce sperm. And because male ESCs can be turned into eggs as well as sperm, two men could both be biological parents of a child, with the help of a surrogate mother.