French startup claims development of in-vitro human sperm

[webfact]

French startup claims development of in-vitro human sperm
By CATHERINE GASCHKA and LORI HINNANT

LYON, France (AP) — A French startup working with a top government lab said it has developed in-vitro human sperm, claiming a breakthrough in infertility treatment sought for more than a decade.

Researchers with Kallistem had announced the discovery previously, but they and French government lab CNRS described how it works for the first time Thursday after taking out a patent on the process.

They have developed sperm from immature cells known as spermatogonial cells, which are present in all males, including pre-pubescent boys, and under normal conditions develop into sperm cells once puberty starts. The technology must now be clinically tested, a process that is particularly painstaking for any treatment involving reproduction.

Philippe Durand, the chief Kallistem researcher, said the genesis of the research was indications that male fertility was declining, which he said could be attributed to environmental factors.

Since "at the heart of the problem is the interior of the testicle," he said, that was what they first tried to replicate in the lab.

The research team developed a bioreactor using a viscous fluid made partly of substances found in the walls of mushrooms or in crustacean shells to reproduce the conditions within the body. They first used rat cells, then young monkey cells, then finally human cells.

The main challenge was reproducing in the lab a complex physiological development process that usually lasts 72 days in a human, from immature cell to sperm.

In each case, "they took the entire path they would have taken in the testicle in our in-vitro system," said Durand, who worked with colleagues at CNRS and the elite Lyon 1 university.

CNRS researcher Marie-Helene Perrard, who also helped found Kallistem, said young men with cancer that could cause fertility issues later in their lives would be the first type of patient who could be helped by the process. She said their fertility could be preserved by developing mature sperm from their immature cells, then freezing it.

The research team said the technology could help treat issues affecting 15,000 young cancer patients and 120,000 men worldwide whose infertility cannot be treated any other way.

Ultimately, it has the potential to be a significant addition to infertility treatments that often bypass men altogether, said Liberty Barnes, a research associate at the University of Cambridge and author of a book on male infertility who has no connection to the work being done in France.

As many as 15 percent of couples are infertile, according to the Mayo Clinic. Barnes said men and women each account for about 30 percent of infertility cases, with a combination of factors accounting for the remaining 40 percent.

"As a culture we presume that when a couple is infertile it's a woman's problem," Barnes said. "Infertile men are disappointed that there aren't more options for them."


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-18

[thaibeachlovers]

I'm thinking it's time to just bypass all the BS and go for the babies in a test tube for real. Then we can bring in screening for defects and have a perfect world, LOL.

[BuaBS]

That's just sad. Infertility is nature's way to limit a species. Another way nature is defeated to make way for the cancerous growth of humans.

[thaibeachlovers]

That's just sad. Infertility is nature's way to limit a species. Another way nature is defeated to make way for the cancerous growth of humans.

I see you are on the same wave length as myself.

Mankind has become a parasite on the planet, and it is just a matter of time before he goes the way of the dinosaurs. Already he has managed to reduce fish stocks to near extermination and polluted the entire planet.

[HerbalEd]

That's just sad. Infertility is nature's way to limit a species. Another way nature is defeated to make way for the cancerous growth of humans.

If you truly want "nature's way to limit a species" (evolution?), then you'd also want to not treat people with poor eyesight or other physical disabilities or malfunction that in pure nature would kill off the weaker of our species.

[HerbalEd]

With this kind of medical technology, a baby boy ... living or dead ... could sire a child. Pandora's Generic-Engineering Box is open, and if it can happen, it will happen.

Edited September 18, 2015 by HerbalEd

[Ulic]

I have no kids, I don't know if I have a problem or not, it's all fine by me. The world could do with

a few billion less people I say. Just my opinion. Certainly no need for more than two children per

family now.

[elgordo38]

That's just sad. Infertility is nature's way to limit a species. Another way nature is defeated to make way for the cancerous growth of humans.

This whole process is geared towards people with money. Cancerous growth of humans? I would have to agree. You can thank us for the 50% decline in ocean animals in the last 45 years. At this rate of decline I figure by the year 2030 the oceans should be empty including oxygen. The worst offenders are the shark fin hunters and the Japanese tuna boats and the long line fishers. Our greed knows no bounds or borders. If there was indeed higher powers we would all be exterminated for abusing our position/privilege on the planet.

Edited September 18, 2015 by elgordo38

[Srikcir]

Science can be slowed by ignorance but it is never stopped as long as there is human curiosity.

[thaibeachlovers]

Science can be slowed by ignorance but it is never stopped as long as there is human curiosity.

Science is responsible for overpopulation. It keeps children alive that would have died before, but the parents still breed as though most of their children were going to die.

I have no problem with curing diseases, but it should be in conjunction with sane population control legislation. China so far is the only country to have attempted to restrict overbreeding, and it is alarming that they should be considering removing the restrictions.