This undated photo provided by researcher Katsuhiko Hayashi shows an adult mouse which was born from an egg cell produced from a skin cell, and her pups born normally. The eggs were produced by making skin cells revert to a kind of blank slate, so they could be prodded to develop into immature egg cells. The new work was reported online Thursday, Oct. 3, 2012, in the journal Science by a team at Kyoto University. (AP Photo/Science, Katsuhiko Hayashi)
Research on mice suggests new fertility treatments
This undated photo provided by researcher Katsuhiko Hayashi shows an adult mouse which was born from an egg cell produced from a skin cell, and her pups born normally. The eggs were produced by making skin cells revert to a kind of blank slate, so they could be prodded to develop into immature egg cells. The new work was reported online Thursday, Oct. 3, 2012, in the journal Science by a team at Kyoto University. (AP Photo/Science, Katsuhiko Hayashi)
By MALCOLM RITTER
AP Science Writer /
October 5, 2012
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For example, the new work moves scientists closer to the possibility of tinkering with genes that would affect not only one person but also be inherited by future generations, which has long been controversial, said Dr. George Daley of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. And basic research with such eggs could mean making and destroying human embryos in the lab, which many people oppose.
More controversy could arise over using the method for women who are infertile simply because of their age.
‘‘Society is not clear about how it feels about older women having children,’’ said Josephine Johnston of the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute in Garrison, N.Y. She said there has been no sustained public discussion of ‘‘how old is too old, and what does that even mean.’’
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Online:
Journal Science: http://www.sciencemag.org
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Malcolm Ritter can be followed at http://www.twitter.com/malcolmritter
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