Scientists Estimate That By 2028, Lab-Grown Infants Could Be A Reality

Japanese scientists believe they are on the verge of creating lab-grown infants as early as 2028.

According to a Nature report, Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi, a Japanese scientist at Kyushu University, has developed a method for converting male mice skin cells into pluripotent stem cells, which can possibly evolve into many types of cells or tissues.

Professor Hayashi and his colleagues then cultivated these cells in the presence of a medication that turned male rodent stem cells into female cells capable of producing viable egg cells.

These eggs were then fertilized, resulting in the birth of male mice.

“This is the first case of making robust mammalian oocytes from male cells,” said Dr. Hayashi of the study.

And, given this recent success, he predicted that he might replicate this procedure in people within the next five years.

Because the scientists were able to create egg-like cells from two male mice, it opens up the possibility of same-sex couples and their reproduction options.

According to the New York Post, “it’s a very clever strategy,” said Diana Laird, a stem cell and reproductive researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the research.

“It’s an important step in both stem cell and reproductive biology.”

Dr. Hayashi, on the other hand, believes scientists will need another 10 to 20 years to make the technique safe for humans.

According to Jeanne Loring, a Scripps Research Institute researcher, IVG in human reproduction is still a few years away.

In 2017, she told The New York Times, “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was five years, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was 25 years.”

According to Stanford University Professor Henry Greely, researchers will need another decade to generate lab-grown infants, plus another decade or two to ensure safety.

However, the ethical and legal implications have to be seen, as who knows if society is really ready for such an idea.

One of the most serious problems would be exploiting this technology to create lab-grown kids, such as taking a person’s hair and using their DNA against their will.

And then, all of a sudden, they’ve got more kids than Nick Cannon can handle.

But, because the science of ectogenesis is still developing, we have some time to figure it out.

Scientists Estimate That By 2028, Lab-Grown Infants Could Be A Reality

Japanese scientists believe they are on the verge of creating lab-grown infants as early as 2028.

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