Artificial gametes
by
Nagy ZP, Chang CC.
Reproductive Biology Associates,
Atlanta, GA 30342, USA.
peter.nagy@rba-online.com
Theriogenology. 2007 Jan 1;67(1):99-104.

ABSTRACT

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has been an efficient medical treatment for infertility in the past decades. However, conventional IVF approaches may be insufficient when gametes are lacking or non-viable thus precluding a significant number of patients from treatment. Ultimately, creation of artificial gametes may provide an universal solution for all indications. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has provided successful cloning in different animal species indicating that a derived technology may be applicable in infertility treatment procedures. Attempts to produce functional male or female gamete through nuclear transfer have been described through the process called haploidization. Initial successes have been observed, however, significant alterations at spindle construction and chromosomal segregation were also described. Stem cell technology may provide an alternative route to obtain fully functional gametes. Both sperm cells and oocytes were obtained using specific culture conditions for embryo originated stem cell. These two mainstream approaches are presented in the current review. Both of these techniques are involving sophisticated methods and consequently both of them demonstrate technical and ethical challenges. Related questions on (mitotic/meiotic) cell division, genetic/epigenetic alterations and cell renewal are needed to be addressed before clinical application.

Eugenics talk
Human cloning
'Designer babies'
Private eugenics
Psychiatric genetics
Human self-domestication
Selecting potential children
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis
Could human cloning make us happy?
'A life without pain? Hedonists take note'
Francis Galton and contemporary eugenics
Reproductive cloning combined with genetic modification

Refs
and further reading

HOME
Resources
Wireheading
BLTC Research
nootropic.com
Superhappiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Good Drug Guide
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
MDMA: Utopian Pharmacology
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World