Same-sex parents can conceive children with shared DNA using skin cells: study

A new study has shown scientists that a solution is on the horizon for those suffering from infertility, as well as for some same-sex couples who are currently unable to have a biological child, using outsourcing of at least one parent. SSPDaily tells about it.

This is reported by SSPDaily.

The proposed treatment, which uses the same process that was used to create Dolly, a sheep cloned by scientists in 1996, will be able to turn ordinary skin cells into a human egg from which an embryo can grow.

This exciting method, published in the journal Science Advance, could solve fertility problems for same-sex couples, as well as older women and others who are unable to produce eggs due to illness, cancer treatment, or a predisposition to cancer.

Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) have modeled the process in mice, called in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG. The method involves placing the nucleus of a male or female skin cell into a donor embryo that lacks its nucleus.

The nucleus of the replaced skin cell is then cut in half to make room for the sperm, and a viable human embryo is created, which is then implanted into the uterus using in vitro fertilization (IVF).

"The goal is to produce eggs for patients who don't have their own eggs," said lead author Shoukhrat Mitalipov, director of the OHSU Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, according to the South West News Service.

The new procedure could revolutionize the way homosexual men can start a family, as they would not need to provide a donor egg.

Previously, researchers had hoped to find a way to redirect stem cells to create sperm or eggs, which had remained elusive, but this new approach, called somatic nuclear transfer, bypasses all obstacles.

"We skip the whole reprogramming of cells," said co-author Dr. Paula Amato, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the OHSU School of Medicine. "The advantage of our technique is that it avoids the long culture time required to reprogram the cell."