


Illustration via Nature

There is an absolutely terrific article about Hayashi's work by David Cyranoski over at Scientific American, exploring how his technique for creating germ line cells, or sperm and eggs, using novel methods developed by his senior colleague Mitinori Saitou at Kyoto University.


Writes Cyranoski:


Hyashi worked with Saitou to innovate new techniques that didn't require stem cells. This eventually led to that living mouse created from skin cells that had been turned into germ cells. The implications were staggering. Cells from a male mouse could be converted into eggs. Mice that were infertile could become fertile again, by turning their skin cells into viable germ cells. Other research groups have duplicated the team's results, though none have yet produced another viable baby.

When news of the research broke, the public went crazy. Not because they cared about mouse development, but because they hoped it could carry over into humans. It could mean new hope for infertile couples. And it might mean that gay couples could have children that are genetically related to two men, or two women.

Now, the team is focusing on humans. Cyranoski explains:



In other words, humans are a lot more complex than mice. And of course experimenting on them is a lot more ethically problematic. Still, it's a fascinating avenue of research. Read the whole article over at Scientific American.