Sperma aus Laborgewachsen, Eier könnten es den Eltern bald ermöglichen, ihre zukünftigen Kinder anzupassen | HFEA hat letzte Woche ein Treffen abgehalten und kündigte an, dass Wissenschaftler in einem Labor kurz vor dem Wachstum menschlicher Eier und Sperma sind.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jan/26/lab-grown-eggs-sperm-viability-uk-fertility-watchdog
4 Kommentare
From the article: Mass-producing eggs and sperm in a laboratory in order to have a baby with yourself or three other people in a “multiplex” parenting arrangement might sound like the plot of a dystopian novel.
But these startling scenarios are under consideration by the UK’s fertility watchdog, which has concluded that the technology could be on the brink of viability.
Bolstered by Silicon Valley investment, scientists are making such rapid progress that lab-grown human eggs and sperm could be a reality within a decade, a meeting of the [Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority](https://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/qgmfzsmo/2025-01-22-authority-papers.pdf) board heard last week.
In-vitro gametes (IVGs), eggs or sperm that are created in the lab from genetically reprogrammed skin or stem cells, are viewed as the holy grail of fertility research.
The technology promises to remove age barriers to conception and could pave the way for same-sex couples to have biological children together. It also poses unprecedented medical and ethical risks, which the HFEA now believes need to be considered in a proposed overhaul of fertility laws.
Peter Thompson, chief executive of the HFEA, said: “In-vitro gametes have the potential to vastly increase the availability of human sperm and eggs for research and, if proved safe, effective, and publicly acceptable, to provide new fertility treatment options for men with low sperm counts and women with low ovarian reserve.”
The technology also heralds more radical possibilities including “solo parenting” and “multiplex parenting”. Julia Chain, chair of HFEA, said: “It feels like we ought to have Steven Spielberg on this committee,” in a brief moment of levity in the discussion of how technology should be regulated.
Lab-grown eggs have already been used produce healthy babies in mice – including ones with two biological fathers. The equivalent feat is yet to be achieved using human cells, but US startups such as Conception and Gameto claim to be closing in on this prize.
The HFEA meeting noted that estimated timeframes ranged from two to three years – deemed to be optimistic – to a decade, with several clinicians at the meeting sharing the view that IVGs appeared destined to become “a routine part of clinical practice”.
The clinical use of IVGs would be prohibited under current law and there would be significant hurdles to proving that IVGs are safe, given that any unintended genetic changes to the cells would be passed down to all future generations.
Damn!!!!! The future is arriving fast!!!!!!
Next step is artificial wombs, humanity needs this.
What happens when you are not happy with the ‚custom‘ made baby? You can return it for a better version?
I remember when I visited the millennium dome when it first opened and there was a system with a touch screen display which polled the public on their opinions about the future.
One of the questions (and the only question that I remember as it stood out to me) was asking about just this, stating that in the future it’ll possible to “design” your child e.g. what colour hair and eyes it would have and whether people would want this. I voted but never saw the results, probably because I was still a child at the time and didn’t make a note of how to find out the results.
Would have been interesting to see how people felt about it then vs now, but either way this concept isn’t new, but how they’re going about it especially with the “multiple parents” is certainly very interesting and I can see that alone bringing all sorts of legal complications if it was to ever become a reality.