Scientists made human egg cells from skin cells

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Creating Human Eggs from Adult Cells: A New Frontier in Reproductive Science

Researchers fused human skin cells with donor eggs and triggered meiosis. The process halved the chromosome count, allowing the cells to act like functional eggs and form early embryos.
Tim Vernon/Science Source

The possibility of creating human eggs from ordinary body cells has moved one step closer to reality. Scientists have successfully guided human skin cells into producing egg-like cells that were able to form very early embryos. Reported on September 30 in Nature Communications, this advance combines cloning techniques, fertilization, and chemical coaxing, and may one day revolutionize fertility medicine.

What Exactly Did Scientists Achieve?

  • Researchers started with human skin cells (fibroblasts).

  • Using somatic cell nuclear transfer (the method that created Dolly the Sheep), they removed the nucleus from a donated egg cell and replaced it with the nucleus of a skin cell.

  • The aim was not cloning but converting the skin cell nucleus into an egg nucleus, which normally carries 23 chromosomes instead of 46.

  • With the help of a chemical compound, roscovitine, the engineered cells attempted to undergo meiosis, the special division process that halves chromosomes.

  • Some of these egg-like cells were fertilized with sperm and developed into very early human embryos (blastocysts).

Why Is This Important?

  1. Potential Infertility Treatment – Women who cannot produce eggs due to age, menopause, or medical treatments could one day have new eggs created from their own cells.

  2. Same-Sex Reproduction – Male couples may eventually be able to create eggs from one partner’s cells and sperm from the other, leading to a genetically related child.

  3. Scientific Breakthrough – While animal models (mice, pandas) have already seen success, translating this to humans marks a major milestone.

Current Challenges and Limitations

  • Low Efficiency – Very few eggs developed into embryos, and none were genetically normal.

  • Chromosomal Errors – Some embryos had too many or mismatched chromosomes (e.g., 48 instead of 46).

  • Improper Pairing – Chromosomes paired randomly instead of with their correct counterparts.

  • Non-Viable Embryos – All embryos stopped developing within six days and none could progress further.

  • Dependence on Donor Eggs – The method still requires a donor egg as a starting point, unlike other reprogramming techniques.

Insights from Mouse Experiments

  • Earlier research in mice successfully reprogrammed adult cells into both eggs and sperm.

  • This even produced offspring with two biological fathers, who were able to reproduce normally.

  • Since many cellular techniques that succeed in mice can later be adapted to humans, the findings provide strong encouragement.

The Road Ahead

  • Long-Term Outlook – Experts estimate at least a decade before clinical trials could even be considered.

  • Regulatory Barriers – In countries such as the United States, genetic modification of human embryos is prohibited, meaning trials would likely occur elsewhere.

  • Proof of Concept – While not yet successful in producing viable embryos, this research demonstrates that the process can begin and may be refined further.

Broader Implications

  1. Transforming Fertility Medicine – Offering hope to individuals and couples previously without options.

  2. Ethical Considerations – Raises questions about same-sex reproduction, genetic safety, and boundaries of medical science.

  3. Scientific Understanding – Provides valuable insights into how human eggs form and how chromosomes divide.

  4. Future Technologies – Opens pathways to new innovations in stem cell and reproductive biology.

Conclusion

This research did not produce healthy human embryos, but it achieved something unprecedented: showing that human skin cells can be directed toward becoming eggs. Although still in the proof-of-concept stage, with technical and ethical hurdles to overcome, the breakthrough marks a significant step toward reimagining reproduction.

The question now is not only whether this will work, but also how humanity should responsibly use such technology once it does.

Source: Science News

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