Could We One Day Make Babies from Only Skin Cells?

           

In the upcoming future, researchers may have discovered a way for humans to reproduce babies from eggs made from a parent’s skin cells. In 2016, the theory was successful using mice skin cells in an experiment in Japan.  Adult skin cells can be reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells. These cells can be stimulated to grow into eggs or sperm, which are then used to form an embryo implantation into an adult womb. Most scientists agree we are a long way from doing it clinically, but this technology has the potential to replace traditional in vitro fertilization to treat infertility. This new technology is called in vitro gametogenesis.

            What benefits does in vitro gametogenesis have that in vitro fertilization doesn’t? In both processes, the joining of an egg and sperm take place in a culture dish. But with the IVF procedure, you have to collect eggs from the woman and sperm from the man, either surgically or non-surgically. You can also do egg or sperm donation. With IVG, this procedure can help men or women who have no gametes (no sperm or eggs), where IVF is not an option. Another potential benefit with IVG is that the women undergoing the process does not need to receive high doses of fertility drugs to receive her eggs. One other major benefits of IVG, is that same-sex couples would have the opportunity to have biological children. Also, people who lost their gametes through cancer treatments would have a chance to have biological children as well. Most scientist working on the IVG are hesitant to commit to an exact time frame, but they have stated that they are one to two decades away from IVG being attempted in humans.

-Gaby Gonzalez