Is it possible to create human oocytes from skin cells in a dish?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the potential for creating human oocytes from skin cells in a laboratory setting, exploring the implications of advances in reproductive technologies and their societal impacts. It touches on the challenges of male infertility, the evolution of reproductive methods, and the future of natural reproduction.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern over declining sperm counts in Western men, suggesting it may have serious implications for male reproductive health.
  • Others argue that advancements in reproductive technologies, such as IVF and gene editing, may mitigate these concerns, potentially making natural reproduction obsolete.
  • A participant mentions the potential usefulness of producing artificial sperm to address male infertility issues, referencing past attempts to apply similar technologies to fish.
  • One participant proposes the idea of reprogramming skin cells into stem cells and differentiating them into oocytes, highlighting the potential benefits of reducing invasive procedures and addressing age-related risks in women.
  • References to ongoing research and advancements in the field are provided, indicating that while the technology is not yet available, progress is being made.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the implications of declining male fertility and the future of reproductive technologies. There is no consensus on whether these advancements will ultimately resolve the issues raised or lead to new challenges.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes various assumptions about the future of reproductive health and technology, as well as differing perspectives on the societal impacts of these changes. Limitations in current technology and the ethical implications of such advancements are acknowledged but not resolved.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those involved in reproductive health, biotechnology, ethics in science, and social implications of technological advancements in reproduction.

wolram
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This seems to be a worrying survey, Is western man going to die out?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170726110954.htmSignificant ongoing decline in sperm counts of Western men
Date:
July 26, 2017
Source:
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Summary:
A rigorous and comprehensive meta-analysis of data collected between 1973 and 2011 finds that among men from Western countries, sperm concentration declined by more than 50 percent, with no evidence of a 'leveling off' in recent years. These findings strongly suggest a significant decline in male reproductive health that has serious implications beyond fertility and reproduction, given recent evidence linking poor semen quality with higher risk of hospitalization and death.
 
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Reproductive technologies (e.g. IVF) have advanced to the point where this is not a big problem. If anything, it is a beneficial adaptation that helps to reduce unplanned pregnancies.

Also, natural reproduction will be obsolete in a few decades once we work out all of the kinks in gene editing embryos. :p
 
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Producing http://menfertility.org/worlds-first-successful-in-vitro-human-artificial-sperm-production-for-male-infertility/ is another thing that might be useful for dealing with these kinds of problems in a few years.
I wanted to do this with fish about 15 years ago. The technology/knowledge was not available then.

Male infertility contrary to many science fiction scenarios where reproductive women are rare and result in weird social/political things happening.

I am guessing a shortage of fertile men would not require such restrictive controls to still get them involved in (possibly controlled) reproductive efforts.
Sperm donation is easy, surrogates or forced insemination is not.
 
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An even bigger advance with broad social implications would be the ability to produce oocytes in culture. One could imagine taking skin cells, reprogramming them into https://stemcells.nih.gov/info/Regenerative_Medicine/2006Chapter10.htm, then differentiating those stem cells into oocytes that could be used for IVF. It would reduce the need for invasive surgeries for egg donation and could potentially allow women to avoid pressures of their "biological clock" (i.e. increased risk of chromosomal defects with increasing age of the mother). Although such technology is still far away, there are advances being made toward this goal:
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/32/9021
https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v539/n7628/full/nature20104.html
http://www.nature.com/news/mouse-eggs-made-from-skin-cells-in-a-dish-1.20817
 
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