Fertility Treatment Creation of Germ Cells From Adult Cells

On May 1, 2014, following research conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine and Montana State University, science writer Krista Conger wrote an article detailing how stem cells arising from the skin of adult males suffering from infertility produced primary germ cells capable of becoming sperm once transferred into the reproductive system of mice. In the study, each of the sterile men suffered from azoospermia, a condition in which some genetic mutation prevents the production of mature sperm. The research suggests that germ cells may have existed at some point in these subjects but had probably disappeared as the men matured into adulthood. The simple fact that the infertile males’ cells gave rise to germ cells is a welcome surprise. The research also instills ...