Spanish lab creates human sperm precursors from skin cells
Spanish scientists say they have created rudimentary sperm-like cells from skin and bone marrow cells taken from adult males...
The form of cell division by which egg and sperm cells are formed. Unlike normal cell division (mitosis), the number of chromosomes in the resulting cells is half that in the original cells.
by Ayala Ochert
Spanish scientists say they have created rudimentary sperm-like cells from skin and bone marrow cells taken from adult males...
Scientists in China have used stem cells to create rudimentary sperm that successfully fertilised mouse eggs to produce healthy offspring...
The energy required for our cells to function properly is mainly produced by mitochondria. Mitochondria are tiny structures within our cells, which contain their own DNA. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes a small number of the many proteins required to produce energy efficiently. Mutations in mtDNA cause a broad spectrum of diseases and degenerative disorders, which can be fatal....
Bread and beer are not usually things that one would associate with diseases like cancer, dementia or Huntington's disease. This view was proved wrong by geneticists who gathered at the University of Leicester on 9 October 2012 for a series of lectures aimed at the non-scientist. It seems yeast can be inspiration for genetics research too....
by Professor Robin Lovell-Badge
Earlier this year, a paper claimed to have found cells, called ovarian stem cells, in the adult ovaries of both mice and humans. These cells could apparently be grown in large numbers in the lab and could retain the ability to give rise to eggs. A new study finds no evidence for the existence of germline progenitors able to produce eggs in postnatal ovaries. Is a lack of evidence sufficient to win the argument?...
Results of the first study to sequence the genomes of individual sperm cells obtained from one person have revealed significant genetic differences between them, confirming the belief that each sperm is unique. It is hoped the technique could be applied in fertility treatments to identify genetic mutations that may occur in the recombination process...
by Professor Robin Lovell-Badge
I am all for challenging dogma, but to do so requires robust evidence and carefully drawn conclusions. In the case of Professor Jonathan Tilly's much-trumpeted study on stem cells in ovaries that can give rise to eggs, I feel that both were missing...
The advent of PGD extended the scope of IVF beyond the treatment of infertility. PGD is predominantly used to prevent transmission of genetic defects arising from mutations in nuclear DNA. However, it can also be used to reduce the risk of transmitting mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which cause a range of debilitating and life-threatening diseases...
European researchers have linked ovarian stimulation in women aged over 35 to increased chromosomal abnormalities. Genetic screening shows that the production of oocytes is disrupted during fertility treatment involving ovarian stimulation...
A new study looking at the regulation of egg production in mice ovaries has identified a defect in 'quality control', which may help scientists understand why some women have a miscarriage during pregnancy...
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.