Scientists turn skin cells into human embryo in groundbreaking research

An embryo is formed when the male sperm fertilises the female egg, and this embryo becomes a human baby inside the woman’s womb in nine months. We are all familiar with the reproductive process that we learned in school. Although modern technology has brought significant progress in fertility treatment and reproduction, the process of fertilisation of sperm and egg is inevitable. However, new research studies are rewriting the existing theories and facts in reproductive science. Recent advancements in reproductive science have enabled scientists and researchers to create functional human egg cells or embryos from skin cells. This significant technique, developed by a group of American scientists, may even offer a renewed hope for fertility treatment. 

Technique similar to cloning
Age and diseases won’t be restricting factors when it comes to having children, as any cell in the body could be used for reproduction. Moreover, this groundbreaking finding offers a solution for same sex couples’ desire to have a child of their own. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have developed a technique that transforms human skin cells into embryonic-like cells. The nucleus of a skin cell contains all the genetic codes to form a human embryo. This nucleus is transferred into an egg cell that has had its own nucleus removed. Interestingly, this technique is similar to the one used in cloning that produced Dolly, the sheep, in 1996. 

Will help those with health issues
However, scientists state that this is still in the experimental stage and would take years of meticulous research before it could enter the clinical stage. Meanwhile, this technique will be beneficial for men who have a low sperm count. These older women do not have healthy reproductive egg cells, as well as cancer survivors who experience infertility as a result of radiation therapy. The report of the research study was published in the Nature Communications journal.