Researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), USA, have developed early-stage embryos from the fertilisation of manipulated skin cells - potentially revolutionising fertility treatment by enabling the creation of viable eggs from virtually any cell in the body.
The process begins with the removal of the nucleus of the skin cell and placing it into a donor egg cell which has already had its genetic material removed in a method that mirrors the cloning process used to create Dolly the Sheep in 1996. In order to facilitate the process of fertilisation, the chromosomal number of the egg cell produced would have to be altered in a process called “mitomeiosis”, which was developed by the OHSU team, where the cell is ‘prompted’ to expel half of its chromosomes. This allows it to function as a regular egg cell and achieve the normal number of 46 chromosomes following its fusion with a sperm cell.
82 functional eggs have been produced with some developing into embryos that are capable of reaching the 6-day mile stone in embryo growth.
So far, 82 functional eggs have been produced with some developing into embryos that are capable of reaching the 6-day mile stone in embryo growth. While none have been developed past this stage, the implications of this achievement is vast, providing hope for older women, cancer survivors impacted by fertility issues, same-sex couples and those with infertility caused by disease or lack of viable eggs/sperm. As Professor Shoukhrat Mitalipov, director of OHSU’s Centre for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy says, “We have to perfect it, but this could be the future for people who cannot have children”.
Despite the promise, this technology does have its own challenges - namely, that we are still unable to discard chromosomes evenly, leading to genetic abnormalities as a result of a lack of, or an excessive number of, chromosomes, and subsequently, a success rate of just 9 percent. Hence, experts caution that its clinical use may still be a long way ahead.
While the path to clinical application may still be long, this breakthrough marks a turning point in reproductive science - one that challenges our understanding of how life begins and raises profound questions about the future of human fertility.