Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority which is the regulator of fertility related interventions took this up in its meeting earlier this month
What came first – chicken or egg? Thanks to emerging technologies, the answer could jolly well be egg. Provided, it was grown in a laboratory.
In its meeting held earlier this month, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority of the United Kingdom discussed the possibility of lab grown gametes – both sperms and eggs – being used for fertility treatments and the changes in the relevant law that may be required to enable it.
In-vitro gametes IIVGs) are developed from other cells of the body such as those from the skin or from stem cells. “IVGs represent a fundamental innovation in reproductive biology for both research and fertility treatment. IVGs have the potential to vastly increase the availability of human gametes (sperm and eggs) for research and, if proved safe, effective and publicly acceptable, to provide new fertility treatment options for men with low sperm counts and women with low ovarian reserve. This could greatly increase the supply of sperm, eggs and embryos and could reduce or remove the need for gamete and embryo donation for research and fertility treatment,” reads the update from the meeting of the authority on January 22.
Countries like Netherlands and Norway already have provisions in their law allowing for the use of IVGs but the UK law which is the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (the HFE Act) defined gametes as “live human gametes”.Use of IVGs for fertility interventions would do away with the dependence on live sperm and egg donors and open up the possibility of even infertile individuals becoming parents of their “biological” children. It could reduce both costs and risks of the procedure. However there are ethical concerns too, one of which could be the demand for genetic screening from prospective parents which could result in the the destruction of a lot of viable gametes.
