High hopes for fertility treatment as human eggs fully grown in lab for first time

Human eggs have been fully grown in a laboratory for the first time in what scientists hope could be a breakthrough in improving fertility treatment.


Scientists removed egg cells from ovary tissue at their earliest stage of development and grew them to the point at which they were ready for fertilisation, according to the study published in Molecular Human Reproduction.

The process could offer hope to women undergoing potentially harmful treatments such as chemotherapy - allowing immature eggs to be recovered from patients, matured in a lab and stored for future fertilisation.

Scientists have previously developed mouse eggs to produce live offspring and matured human eggs from a late stage of development.

But this study is the first time a human egg has been developed in the laboratory from its earliest stage to full maturity, researchers say.

Scientists will now focus on examining how healthy the eggs are and whether they can be fertilised.
 (RTE)
 9/2/18