10:21 18th April 2016 | IVF Technique

Stem Cells Undeveloped Eggs Ovarian Tissue Mitochondria Organelles Healthy Embryo Healthy Child Disease Nucleus DNA Donor Transplanted Womb Fertility Treatment Innovations Skin Cells Infertile Men Sperm Cells Mouse Skin Cells Powderised Eggs

The practice of fertility treatments including IVF has undergone remarkable developments over the past few years. The first baby was born using a stem cell in-vitrofertilisation technique in 2015. This technique utilised the stem cells of healthy, undeveloped eggs as precursors to form eggs. An ovarian tissue sample was taken from the mother, and analysed to identify the egg stem cells. Once identified, the egg stem cells were removed from the tissue and purified to extract mitochondria, organelles that provide energy for cells. The introduction of these mitochondria into the egg cells provided a reliable source of energy and helped to produce a healthy embryo and subsequently a healthy child.

 Donor

In Britain, the mitochondria technique has been used to prevent couples suffering from debilitating diseases, from passing these diseases on to their children. The new technique involved the swapping the mother-to-be’s diseased mitochondria with a healthy one donated by another woman. The resulting embryo would have the nucleus DNA from its parents and a mitochondrial DNA, amounting to around 0.1 per cent, from the donor. Like the doctors in Sweden, who have facilitated the birth of a baby using a transplanted womb, many other innovations abound that point to the future of fertility treatment. In a study published earlier this year, scientists at Stanford University took skin cells from infertile men who were unable to produce healthy sperms and re-programmed them into stem cells and implanted them into the testes of mice, where they turned into sperm cells. Also, scientists in Japan reprogrammed mouse skin cells to make egg cells last year.

This could mean that infertile men and women could have their own stem cells used to create egg and sperm cells in the laboratory. In theory, this means that a woman could donate a skin sample instead of her eggs,’ says Mike Bowen. Scientists in Israel have developed a method of powderising cows’ eggs to store them, as against the practice of freezing them in liquid nitrogen. The means that women may be able to store their eggs as a powder in the future and simply add water and sperm when they want to start a family.

Scientists from Brown University in the U.S.have built an artificial ovary to grow and mature eggs. This could help preserve the fertility of women having cancer treatment? Penile transplantation has been shown to be possible and could help men with severe impotence. The first penis transplant was carried out in China in 2006. Scientists have even grown penile tissue from the patient’s own cells in the laboratory.

Baby cloning is a step too far, even for this blog, so we’ll leave that for another decade.

Sources include Grace Kim, the Mail Online and Daily Mail

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