For the first time Sperm cells have been grown in the laboratory with the hope of resolving, and raising the prospect of a treatment for infertile men, Scientists have claimed,
A company in France claims to have successfully turned scraps of genetic material into complete fully-functioning sperm - a world-first.
If the breakthrough can be verified, it may prove life-changing for the tens of thousands of men around the world who cannot produce their own sperm.
The Kallistem laboratory, a private research facility based in Lyon, claimed it would be able to carry out human clinical trials within two years.If commercialised, the firm hopes to treat 50,000 patients a year, a market it that could be worth £1.7 billion.
Isabelle Cuoc, the firm’s CEO, said: ‘Kallistem is addressing a major issue whose impacts are felt worldwide: the treatment of male infertility.
‘Our team is the first in the world to have developed the technology required to obtain fully formed spermatozoa [sperm] in vitro with sufficient yield for IVF.
‘This is a major scientific outcome that enhances both our credibility and our development potential
‘We are targeting a global market worth several billion euros in which there are currently no players.’
Kallistem said it had managed to transform basic male fertility cells, called spermatogonia, into mature sperm in test tubes.
Spermatogenesis, the process through which the basic reproduction cells develop into sperm, is an extremely complex one.
It usually takes 72 days to take place in the human body, with a constant supply of basic cells being transformed into mature sperm.
But the findings have not been published, peer reviewed or independently verified - and British experts last night were treating the claims with scepticism.
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