Scientists successfully created healthy mice from 2 male parents
Scientists have successfully created mice with two biologically male parents, according to new research presented at the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing in London. This was done by manipulating the chromosomes of one of the mice and creating an egg, "a significant advance with significant potential applications," said Keith Latham, a developmental biologist at Michigan State University.
After creating the eggs, they were fertilized by male sperm cells and implanted in female mice's uteruses. The survival rate of the embryos was low with only seven of 630 developing to become pups. However, those seven grew normally and become fertile adults. "This is the first case of making robust mammal oocytes from male cells," said Katsuhiko Hayashi of Kyushu University who lead the research.
The next step is to apply the technique to human cells, but "there are big differences between a mouse and the human," Hayashi explains. "Purely in terms of technology, it will be possible [in humans] even in 10 years," he adds, saying he's unsure "whether they'll be available for reproduction."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The technology could potentially be used to allow male couples to have biological children in the future. "What I can say is only about the technological side. I think in theory it is possible," Hayashi told New Scientist. Kotaro Sasaki, a biomedical scientist at the University of Pennsylvania commented, "Using this for reproductive purposes ... comes with lots and lots of ethical and legal issues, which we need to seriously address."
The findings are yet to be published in a scientific journal, making it "preliminary research," according to Evelyn Telfer, a reproductive biologist at the University of Edinburgh.
"Although they get quite a lot of eggs, these eggs are clearly not fully competent because they really get a very, very small proportion of them that are capable of being fertilized and forming embryos," she said. "It's a huge achievement, but it's still an indication that there are problems with these in vitro–derived oocytes from the stem cells, so there's a lot of work that has to be done."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - priority delivery, USPS on fire, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Blind people will listen to next week's total eclipse
Speed Read While they can't see the event, they can hear it with a device that translates the sky's brightness into music
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Melting polar ice is messing with global timekeeping
Speed Read Ice loss caused by climate change is slowing the Earth's rotation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The de-extinction process to bring woolly mammoths back to life
Under the Radar Biotechnology start-up's stem cell research brings possibility of genetically engineered species a step closer
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Why the Y chromosome is vanishing and what this means for the future
The Explainer A new sex gene could be on the evolution pipeline
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
One hundred new deep-sea species found off the coast of New Zealand
Under the radar Scientists explored the uncharted depths of the Bounty Trough
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
An amphibian that produces milk?
speed read Caecilians, worm-like amphibians that live underground, produce a milk-like substance for their hatchlings
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jupiter's Europa has less oxygen than hoped
speed read Scientists say this makes it less likely that Jupiter's moon harbors life
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why February 29 is a leap day
Speed Read It all started with Julius Caesar
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published