Between IVF and advancements in sex toys that rival the technological leaps produced by the Manhattan Project, the role of men in the baby-making process feels like it’s rapidly dwindling. This is especially true for men with low sperm counts or with low-quality sperm. That might all change thanks to a small biotech company in Utah, Paterna Biosciences, which claims it may have found a way to grow sperm in a lab, an alternative to the traditional testicular setting.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that by using spermatogonial stem cells and a carefully engineered mix of molecular signals, the company claims it has produced mature sperm capable of fertilizing eggs. At least in early-stage embryos created for testing. The idea here is that if your body can’t make viable sperm for whatever reason, science might be able to step in and do it on your behalf.
A Biotech Company Says It Can Grow Sperm in a Lab Now
The big advancement here is that Paterna claims it can essentially program cells to become sperm, rather than the previous advances in the field that tried to recreate the testicular environment in which they lived.
It’s a bold claim, and the company’s work has not yet been peer-reviewed, so experts are cautious and careful not to officially declare this a game-changer just yet. There are vital questions that still need to be answered, like, sure, it may look like they made sperm in a lab, but does it function like normal sperm without causing genetic problems?
The company estimates the cost of its process would be between $5,000 and $12,000, making it cheaper than IVF but still quite expensive.
Should everything go right and the technology proves successful, it could hit international markets by the end of the decade. But until then, it still has a lot to prove, as the shiny, bold, declarative headlines from the biotech industry often sound revolutionary but, more often than not, come with tons of fine print that dampens enthusiasm.
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