Could ‘donor-free’ eggs lead to a fertility breakthrough?
Human eggs grown from amniotic membrane could help infertile couples conceive
Human eggs have been grown outside of the body for the first time, reports The Metro.
Scientists grew the eggs using tissue from the amniotic membrane, the sac that surrounds the baby in the womb, in a laboratory in Israel.
The discovery could help create eggs for infertile couples, and remove the need for volunteer egg donors.
Lead researcher Professor Eliezer Shalev said; “We think we have moved closer to the day when growing eggs outside the body will become a reality. We hope it will soon be possible to grow as many eggs as needed using a regular supply of donated amniotic sacs.”
Reportedly the harvested eggs are ‘immature’, at the same stage as cells found in the ovaries of pre-pubescent girls. But, scientists believe they may be able to create mature eggs that can be fertilised by a male sperm in two to three years.
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