研究：人造精子和卵子或將成爲可能
Scientists have made primitive forms of artificial sperm and eggs in a medical feat that could transform the understanding of age-related diseases and fertility problems.
科學家已於近日製造出人造精子和卵子的雛形。這一醫療壯舉有望轉變人們對於年齡相關疾病和生育問題的認識。
Researchers inCambridgemade the early-stage sex cells by culturing human embryonic stem cells under carefully-controlled conditions for a week.
劍橋大學的研究人員選取了人類胚胎幹細胞，在嚴格控制實驗環境的情況下通過一週的試驗，終於培育出早期的生殖細胞。
They followed the success by showing that the same procedure can convert adult skin tissue into precursors for sperm and eggs, raising the prospect of making sex cells that are genetically matched to patients.
在取得初步成功後，研究人員認爲同樣的程序能夠將成人皮膚組織培育成精子和卵子的前體細胞。應用這一研究成果則有望培育出與不孕不育症患者基因相匹配的生殖細胞，治療不孕不育症的前景也因此被看好。
The cells should have the potential to grow into mature sperm and eggs, though this has never been done in the lab before. The next step for the researchers will be to inject the cells into mouse ovaries or testes to see if they fully develop in the animals.
科學家認爲，儘管這項研究還從未在實驗室中完成過，但他們相信這些早期生殖細胞能夠成長爲成熟的精子和卵子。研究項目的下一步，將是把早期生殖細胞注射到實驗小鼠的生殖器官中，並觀察它們能否發育完全。
British law prohibits fertility clinics in theUKfrom using artificial sperm and eggs to treat infertile couples. But if the law was revised, skin cells could potentially be taken from patients and turned into genetically identical sperm or eggs for use in IVF therapies.
英國法律禁止生育診所使用人造精子和卵子對不孕不育夫婦進行治療。但是如果對法律進行修訂，就可以將病人的皮膚細胞轉化爲與其基因相同的生殖細胞，之後則採用試管嬰兒療法。
Skin cells from a woman could only be used to make eggs because they lack the Y chromosome. Those from a male might theoretically be turned into eggs as well as sperm, but Azim Surani, who led the work at the Gurdon Institute inCambridge, said that on the basis of current knowledge, that was unlikely.
理論上講，由於女性皮膚細胞沒有Y型染色體，只能用來製造卵子；而男性皮膚細胞既可以轉換成卵子，又能成爲精子。此次研究由劍橋大學古爾登研究所（the Gurdon Institute）的阿齊姆·蘇倫尼（Azim Surani）領導。但他表示，在現有的醫學基礎上，這一想法還很難實現。
Researchers have made sperm and eggs from rodent stem cells before but have struggled do the same with human cells. In 2012, Japanese scientists created mouse eggs from stem cells and used them to make baby mice. Three years earlier, scientists atNewcastleUniversityclaimed to have made human sperm from stem cells, but their scientific paper was retracted amid allegations of plagiarism. In 2002, US researchers produced male and female mouse pups from male stem cells.
研究人員先前曾用齧齒動物的幹細胞製造精卵，但在人類細胞相關研究的過程卻無比艱難。2012年，日本科學家利用老鼠幹細胞培育生殖細胞，並以此繁衍出新生老鼠。2009年，紐卡斯爾大學（New castle University）的科學家就聲稱用人類幹細胞培育出了精子，但所發論文涉嫌抄襲，被迫撤回。而早在2002年，美國科學家就用雄性老鼠幹細胞培育出小老鼠。
