According to a new report in The Guardian, UK experts say we may soon be able to make human eggs and sperm in labs. Thanks to money from tech firms, this could happen in the next ten years.
These lab-made cells could help many people have babies. They could help older couples who want kids. They could also help same-sex pairs have their own children.
Peter Thompson from the UK’s fertility group HFEA says the new method could help in two main ways. It could boost the supply of eggs and sperm for research. It could also help men who make little sperm and women who have few eggs left.
Tests with mice show good signs. Labs have made healthy baby mice from lab-made eggs. They even made mice with two dads. While they haven’t done this with human cells yet, some US firms say they’re getting close.
Many experts think this could be normal in ten years. But right now, UK law says we can’t use lab-made eggs and sperm to make babies. First, we must know it’s safe. This matters a lot because any changes would pass down to future children.
New Methods and Risks
The new method brings both good ideas and some risks. One idea lets four people be the parents of one child. Two pairs would make two embryos. Then, labs would use these to make the final baby. This means all four first parents would be like the baby’s grandparents.
But some ideas aren’t safe. The HFEA says they must stop “single parenting” – where one person gives both the egg and sperm. A London genetics expert warns this would be as risky as extreme inbreeding and could badly harm the baby’s health.
Important Things to Consider
Other things to think about are:
- Labs could make lots of embryos
- Older mums might face more risks
- Kids might have much older parents
The HFEA wants new laws for these changes. They say some uses should never be allowed. Others might be fine if we watch them closely.
Looking to the Future
The head of HFEA says these ideas sound so much like science fiction that they need a film director on their team. But it could soon change how we make families.
The group wants to make sure all new treatments are safe. They want new rules in place before the science gets here.
Most doctors think lab-made eggs and sperm will be normal one day. But first, they must prove it’s safe. And we all need to agree on what’s right and what’s wrong.
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