Two-father babies possible in just two years, scientists say
By Will Stroude
Scientists have claimed that babies created with the genetic material of two men could be a possibility in as little as two years.
Researchers at Cambridge University and Israel’s Weizmann Institute have shown for the first time that it is possible to make human egg and sperm cells using stem cells from the skin of two same-sex adults.
The researchers used the skin cells of five adults. Prior to this study, scientists had managed to create baby mice from engineered egg and sperm cells.
“We have succeeded in the first and most important step of this process, which is to show we can make these very early human stem cells in a dish,” Azim Surani, professor of physiology and reproduction at Cambridge, told the Sunday Times.
As well as the potential implications for same-sex parents, the findings also mark a breakthrough for people struggling with infertility.
“It has already caused interest from gay groups because of the possibility of making egg and sperm cells from parents of the same sex,” added the head of Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, Jacob Hanna.
“I am not in favor of creating engineered humans and the social and ethical implications… need to be thought through, but I am very confident it will work and will be very relevant to anyone who has lost their fertility through disease,” Jacob Hanna added.
Earlier this month (February 3), MPs legalised the creation of babies with DNA from two women and one man, making the UK the first country in the world to allow the creation of babies from three people.
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