It remains to be seen what happens to male pride after a revelation from stem cell research made headlines last week. It seems that now mice are the answer if infertile men need to produce healthy sperm.
Researchers from the Roger Abdelmassih Clinic and Research Centre in Sao Paolo, Brazil, led by Irina Kerkis, have claimed they can make mice produce human sperm. The findings are being tabled at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Barcelona.
The procedure involves first extracting dental pulp from the tooth of a male donor. This soft material inside the teeth is rich in stem cells, the precursors of all cells in the body. They can be used to provide anything from heart muscle to brain cells.
Once isolated, the stem cells are injected into the testes of live male mice. Then the mice are killed at various intervals and their testes examined to see if the human stem cells have survived.
Kerkis says the stem cells not only settled in but also successfully "differentiated" into cells that were producing viable sperm. This means that once the sperm has been extracted, they can be used to fertilise a donated human egg. The egg is then transplanted into a prospective mother.
This is not the first major claimed breakthrough with stem cells. They have been touted in everything from an Alzheimer's cure to producing replacement body organs.
More From This Section
One champion of stem cell therapy was late "Superman" Christopher Reeve. Paralysed after an accident, he claimed he got his sensations back after sustained therapy. A hospital in New Delhi claims to offer a similar treatment.
The ethical can of worms has never been empty when it comes to stem cells. Stem cell research is strictly regulated in many countries, especially in the EU and US, especially when it involves human embryos.
Reeve's treatment has been severely examined by critics and the Delhi centre too has never been far from controversy. But it remains to be seen how the involvement of mice in a very intimate human activity will be perceived.
It is interesting to note that stem cell and cloning research has been moving to unregulated parts of the globe. It is like evading a ban on abortions. Perhaps one day you might be able to head to a remote Pacific island to find a mouse for your baby.
