Researchers at Kyoto University say they have developed a method to create “nearly indefinite” volumes of early-stage sperm and eggs from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, in a step that could potentially lead to new infertility treatments.
In a study published in the journal Nature On Monday, scientists led by Mitinori Saitou of the university’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology managed to use iPS cells – stem cells that can turn into any type of cell – to create early germ cells called ‘human primordial germ cell-like cells’ are called. ” (hPGCLCs).
The researchers could then guide these hPGCLCs to develop into early-stage sperm cells, called pro-spermatogonia, or early-stage egg cells, calledoogonia.
