Male infertility will get us over genetic red line

摘要

Imagine you're having trouble conceiving only to be told it's because you or your partner don't produce viable sperm. Sometimes genetic mutations are at fault and in these instances a radical treatment could soon be available. The idea is to extract the stem cells that give rise to sperm and correct the mutation. The corrected stem cells would then be implanted back into the man's testes, allowing him to produce healthy sperm and father his own biological child. All this can already be done in mice, and several groups are working on it for humans, It is more difficult in people, however, because human sperm stem cells are hard to grow outside the body, says Geert Hamer of the University of Amsterdam, who studies these cells. But it could become possible within the next five or 10 years.