Before there was an embryo, there were an egg and a sperm, collectively called gametes. And before the gametes, there were germ cells. The pathway from germ cells to gametes to embryo is long and complicated and occurs only in the human reproductive organs. Or at least it used to.

There have been previous similar claims of artificially creating gametes in the lab. Some claims had some degree of credibility. Some were simply hoaxes.

If you remember, just a few months ago, British researchers from the University of Newcastle claimed they did it first. However, their report published in the journal Stem Cells Development was later retracted due to plagiarism claims so that their claim to be “first” is currently still unsubstantiated.

Well, the latest claim to achieve this feat is coming from no less than researchers of Stanford, an educational institution of impeccable reputation. And the fact that the results have been published in no other than the highly esteemed science journal Nature tells us – this is really it.

The Stanford researchers developed a technique to isolate germ cells from embryonic stem cells. However, they went further and induced the germ cells to give up half of their chromosomes in the process called meiosis. Eureka! The first “lab-made” sperms are here. OK, so they were actually only spermatids, i.e. immature sperms.

But hey, can you imagine the controversy this latest development triggered? If sperm (and eventually eggs) can be made in the lab, the next logical step is to use these lab-made gametes in IVF. This is definitely taking the “test tube baby” one step further. Is this the start of the eugenics era?

However, the researchers claim they have different intentions and site the following benefits that may come out of this discovery:

• Learn more about the earliest stages of human development

• Understand inherited diseases better

• Find treatments for infertility

Understandably, there are those are not too happy about such scientific advancements. Those who object would probably base their objections on the following:

• The use of embryonic stem cells.

• The act of playing God, trying to make human beings in the lab.

Some scientists, however, dismiss these objections as groundless and irrelevant. According to a Bioethics professor:

“It seems to me this is one of those examples where people are groping around for a problem and there literally isn’t one.”

So how do you feel when you hear about such developments? Outraged? Scared? Skeptical? Or fascinated?

British scientists in Newcastle claim they’ve achieved another milestone in biomedical research – creating a human sperm in the lab for the very first time.

How human sperm is created.

Using stem cells from a human embryo, they simulated the crucial process of meiosis, a type of cell division that splits the number of chromosomes into half. The whole process took about 4 to 6 weeks. The sperm produced were said to be mature and mobile.

This feat has been done before using mouse stem cells but this is the first time that it has been demonstrated to be possible using human stem cells. Gametes (eggs and sperm) are different from other cells in the body because they only have half the number of chromosomes. The chromosomal number is completed only during fertilization, when the egg and the sperm merge and contribute 50-50 to the genetic material. Simulating the process of meiosis is very critical and tedious, which is why nobody has done it until now.

How can this technology be used?

• Understanding (in)fertility in men. In simulating the formation of sperm, scientists can have more insight as to why some men are fertile and some are not.

• Understanding how sperm are affected by environmental factors. Certain chemicals and toxins, including chemotherapy drugs can cause permanent infertility. Scientists think they could help find a solution to reverse this problem.

• Understanding how genetic defects are passed on from father to child. In knowing the sperm is formed and developed, scientists might be able someday to manipulate the process and sort out the good genes from the bad.

The researchers stressed that this has nothing to do with procreation and they have no intention of using the lab-made sperm in fertilizing an egg, a procedure which is illegal in the UK. Expectedly, the announcement created a furor not only in the scientific community but among pro-life and religious groups.

Arguments against laboratory made sperm:

• The human embryos in stem cell research has always been steeped in controversy and considered ethically and politically incorrect. Josephine Quintavalle of Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Corethics) does not see the point of destroying a perfectly viable human embryo to produce experimental sperm.

• Cost-efficiency. From a more practical perspective, one may ask, is it really worth it? While there is a shortage of egg cells available for stem cell research, there is more than ample supply of sperm. Is it really worth the time and the money to create something in the lab that is easily available in nature? Or is it simply about proving that it can be done?

So what do you think? Is this an exciting scientific discovery or is it another one of those scientific dead-ends?

Stem cells and stem cell research have always been steeped in controversy mainly because the earliest source of stem cells discovered was the human embryo. This led to strong resistance against stem cell research based on ethical, moral, and religious grounds. Over the years, new, less controversial sources of stem cells have been identified, including:

• bone marrow
• umbilical cord
• skin
• breast milk
• fat tissue
• menstrual blood

Recently, Brazilian researchers have reported about another potential – and “politically correct” – source of stem cells – discarded Fallopian tubes.

The Fallopian tubes are the tubes that “catch” the eggs from the ovaries, to be transported to the uterus. Sometimes the tubes have to be removed surgically, an intervention called salpingectomy. In many cases, it is performed in connection with oophorectomy (removal of the ovary) and/or hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) in women with cervical or breast cancer. The researchers found abundant immature cells in Fallopian tubes during surgery, cells which can potentially develop into bones, muscles, and other organs.

Stem cell research is cutting edge technology in the quest for curing many diseases, from cancer, to cardiovascular disorders, to neurodegenerative diseases. Identifying more “ethical” sources of stem cells can give this field of research a boost and hopefully produce results. Currently, a few stem cell-based therapies are undergoing clinical trials.

Every so often a story comes along that is truly amazing, and if you’re ready for a really uplifting story then you should hear about Chloe Levine.

She is a toddler who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after it became apparent that she wasn’t developing like she should have. She didn’t have control over the right side of her body and instead of crawling as a baby she shuffled along using only her left side.

Her parents had banked her cord blood when she was born and this made her eligible for a clinical trial to treat cerebral palsy. She participated in the clinical trial and saw almost immediate results! Her right arm is no longer pinned to her side and she can run and catch a ball with both arms, which are two things her parents never thought she would ever do. Other young children have experienced similar successes with this treatment. ( Watch the short video )

Cerebral palsy is only one of the many illnesses that use cord blood stem cells therapy . Parents who seek out treatment for their children using cord blood will agree that despite the cost involved in banking the blood, it can be completely worth it. Just ask Chloe’s parents if it was worth the effort and cost and they’ll agree that cord blood banking changed the life of their daughter.

Watch the video

Find out more about cord blood banking

Sign up for cord blood banking with CBR

Have you ever wondered what happens when cord blood is banked? What happens if your child needs it later in life due to an illness or other disability? So many steps are being made to advance the research and amazing uses of cord blood stem cells today. It is easy to dismiss the idea of using stem cells as new, radical, and perhaps not something likely to happen soon because of the way it is often portrayed as new and in the experimental stage.

Some parents are stepping up to bank the blood of their newborns and have been for a few years now. Some have chosen private banking, while others have chosen to use public banks. Thanks to banking the blood of their newborn, one couple in Sacramento, California have seen dramatic improvement in their son’s condition. The two year old had been diagnosed with cerebal palsy shortly after birth, but thanks to being injected with his own stem cells, he is showing fewer signs of the disorder. His parents are praising the preservation of his cord blood and the injection of the stem cells.

According to his parents, Dallas had not spoken previously, nor laughed. His father expressed great joy at finally being able to hear the laughter of his son. Thanks to the accidental discovery of Cord
Blood Registry, the world’s largest family cord blood stem cell bank. The couple decided to spend the money to cover the cost of processing and storage, since this may have been their only chance to have a child due to conception difficulties.

Last July, the couple decided to allow doctors at Duke University to infuse Dallas’ own stem cells back into his system in an experimental approach to helping his disorder. According to the family, within 5 days Dallas was a new child, clapping, laughing, and reacting as never before.

For more information on Dallas and his recovery, visit MSNBC and The Early Show Video.

We all know about the controversy over stem cell research. As well as other sources, the most well-know type of stem cells are those found in human embryos, which are destroyed to harvest the stem cells.

Scientists have made great advances in finding ethical sources of stem cells, but now Australian researchers have discovered a potential goldmine of stem cells – in breastmilk!

Unborn babies are basically made from stem cells, the placenta supports stem cells, umbilical cord blood contains stem cells (and companies exist who will save and store that cord blood for your baby) so researchers wondered if the next step of a baby’s development – birth, and nursing after birth – might involve stem cells too. They tested breastmilk, and discovered it did indeed contain stem cells.

Scientists still don’t understand much about what the function of these stem cells are, but breastmilk is ethical, widely available and inexpensive for researchers to use. If the breastmilk stem cells can be used in place of embryonic stem cells, then scientists will potentially be able to use them in therapies for an enormous range of diseases like cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Nice work, Australian scientists!

Source – Science Alert: Breastmilk Contains Stem Cells