Scientists Grow Working Sperm from Stem Cells

An illustration of sperm and egg. (Credit: Liya Graphics/Shutterstock) A team of scientists has grown functional mouse sperm cells from cultures of embryonic stem cells. In principle, embryonic stem cells can become any type of cell in the human body, but convincing them to differentiate into what scientists want them to become can be a challenge. For years, researchers have tried to shape stem cells into working sperm in a dish – with limited success. Now, researchers from China say they’ve not only managed to grow functional, sperm-like cells from a culture of embryonic stem cells, but that those cells fertilized an egg and produced healthy, fertile offspring. They say it could be the first step toward better treatment for male infertility, as well as a better way to study the causes of infertility and even the origin of testicular cancer and some genetic mutations.