Roxanne Powell
Senior Content Editor
The scientific world is a wonderful place! We’ve discovered how to make “test tube babies,” how to make functioning prosthetic limbs, and now we can make eggs! Yes, you read that right: eggs. The Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) has cracked the mystery of stem cells, leading the way towards the creation of eggs, in lieu of those donated by a female surrogate.
This development is a big step forward in the eyes of the LGBT community, as it allows gay men to create their own eggs in order to have their own children. With the creation of their own egg, scientists submit that both men would be allowed to give their DNA to the creation of their child, as opposed to the standard 50/50 between a male and female donor.
Mitinori Saitou of iCeMS leads the charge for this particular breakthrough. The eggs, he says, were created from embryonic stem cells, and now have a very good chance of producing healthy offspring for expectant couples.While the initial tests for these eggs were done on mice, Saitou is confident the step into human testing will prove equally successful.
“The resulting pregnancy produced healthy mice, and so far, this accomplishment is a rousing success. The embryonic stem cells used in the study were a different kind of stem cell than we are used to hearing about. When we think of stem cells, we think of umbilical cord stem cells. But this differing type of stem cell, referred to as Induced pluripotent stem cells, can be obtained from the skin cells of a mouse, and a human as well.”
This discovery will also benefit women who, whether they discover their infertility, have outlived their ability to naturally have children, or (in some rare cases) lack their own eggs. “Bio-engineered eggs” can be made with stem cells and give these women a chance to start or continue their families.
“This discovery could also lead to gay men in same sex relationships having the ability to create an offspring completely from just the 2 donors DNA. Skin cells from one of the men can be used to create the egg, and sperm, or sperm created from the skin cells of the other man can be used to fertilize the egg in-vitro, only leaving the surrogate uterus for implantation question on the table.”
What do you guys think? Are you excited for this new development? Let us know in the comments below!
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