Artificial Human Sperms

Artificial Human Sperms

A team led by Karim Nayernia of Newcastle University, UK has been able to create swimming human cells with tails and some of the biological characteristics of real sperm. They are grown from embryonic stem cells. According to the researchers, the artificial sperm had key traits of real sperm which includes a haploid nucleus that has 23 chromosomes. In nonreproductive cells 46 chromosomes are found. This raises the possibility of enabling a fertile man to father children.

For years, researchers are struggling to produce reproductive cells from stem cells. This task is very complicated as it requires a complex form of cell division called meiosis, which reduces the number of chromosomes per cell by half. The real breakthrough came when some cells became continued to grow and also developed a tail which made them to move. This ultimately converted them into sperm cells.

This development is criticised in certain quarters on ethical grounds. According to them man is trying to become god. But the Nayernia says otherwise. He defends this move by saying that it will lead to a better understanding of infertility in men. Why some people are infertile and what are the reasons behind it? This may lead to better way of treating infertility.