Thaindian News

Tokyo, Mar 29 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Japanese scientists have successfully created a sperm in the lab using mouse tissue. The study is considered a breakthrough that could one day make male infertility a thing of the past.

The research was carried out by researchers from Yokohama City University and the cultivated sperm cells were considered viable enough. Sperm cells have been created in the lab in the past but this is the first time that the sperms have been considered viable. In the earlier experiments, the offspring created using the lab-grown sperms tended to be ill a lot.

The major breakthrough could come for young boys who might need to undergo cancer treatment. Cancer treatment could eventually lead to infertility and with the promise to be able to produce viable sperms in the lab, scientists hope that boys undergoing cancer treatment could eventually be able to have healthy offspring someday. Scientists also hope to be able to use the procedure to increase the fertility of endangered species.

The research was published in the journal Nature.

Dr. Allen Pacey of Sheffield University said that, “This is a small but important step in understanding how sperm are formed, which may, in time, lead to us being able to grow human sperm in the laboratory.”