Researchers in the US have created human eggs from skin cells, a development that could transform IVF treatment for people unable to conceive.
The work, led by Prof Shoukhrat Mitalipov at Oregon Health and Science University, could help women affected by age, illness or medical treatment, as well as same-sex male couples.
The technique adapts the cloning method used to create Dolly the sheep, involving the transfer of a skin cell nucleus into a donor egg with its own nucleus removed. After fertilisation with sperm, a compound called roscovitine was used to trigger the eggs to discard half their chromosomes.
Out of 82 eggs created, fewer than 10% developed to the early embryo stage, with none grown beyond six days. The embryos often contained abnormal chromosome numbers.
The research, published in Nature Communications, is described as proof of concept. Scientists say it could take another decade to refine the process and demonstrate its safety.
