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Scientists have created sperm from human bone marrow, leading experts to hope that the sperm cells could eventually be used in fertility treatment.
The researchers, from the Universities of G?ttingen and M¨šnster and the Medical School of Hannover in Germany, took bone marrow from male volunteers and isolated adult stem cells. From these stem cells they created spermatagonial cells, which normally develop into mature sperm cells in the testes.
According to lead researcher Professor Karim Nayernia, men who have become infertile through chemotherapy to treat cancer may be able to benefit from the research.
"We're very excited about this discovery," he said. "Our next goal is to see if we can get the spermatagonial cells to progress to mature sperm in the laboratory and this should take around 3-5 years of experiments."
However, the researchers also stated that the results are still early and more work is needed. They also recognised the fact that the law would have to develop to allow such work to be done, as the UK government's recent White Paper proposes a ban on using artificially created sperm or eggs in assisted reproduction.
