Vita gazette – Scientists have created mice with two biological fathers by generating eggs from male cells, opening up radically new reproduction possibilities. Scientists announced that they aim to use the technique in humans as well.

Breaking the rules of genetics, researchers at Osaka University in Japan produced male cells first eggs and then baby mice. Japanese researchers transformed the skin cells of genetically modified male mice into stem cells. This is the first case of making robust mammal oocytes from male cells.

By deleting the sex-determining Y chromosome in the cells, the scientists paired it with the female X chromosome. In this way, eggs were produced successfully. The egg from a male mouse was fertilised with sperm from another male mouse.

Creating mammals with two biological fathers could pave the way for new fertility treatments in humans. The advance could ultimately pave the way for treatments for severe forms of infertility, as well as raise the tantalising prospect of same-sex couples being able to have a biological child together in the future. “,” said Katsuhiko Hayashi, who led the work at Kyushu University in Japan and is internationally renowned as a pioneer in lab-grown eggs and sperm.

Previously scientists have created mice that technically had two biological fathers through detailed steps, including genetic engineering. However, this is the first time viable eggs have been cultivated from male cells, marking a significant advance.

Hayashi, who presented the development at the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing at the Francis Crick Institute in London, predicts that creating a viable human egg from a male skin cell will be technically possible within a decade.