Gamete Generation from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: How Close Are We to Creating Sperm and Eggs in the Lab?

Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Monthly Consortia Series

Presenter: Amander Clark, PhD

Infertility is a disease that affects millions of reproductive age men, women, and non-binary persons in the U.S. For persons who want a biologically related child, one of the most common treatments involves invitro fertilization (IVF). However, IVF is not an option for persons who no longer make gametes. Instead, a new experimental procedure known as in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) could be used in these cases.

IVG involves making gametes outside of the body either from stalled gamete precursor cells, or from skin cells that can be turned into egg or sperm cells in the laboratory. Animal models have successfully used IVG to restore fertility, and basic science research is currently translating this technology to human cells – with particular emphasis on reprogramming skin cells into stem cells, followed by IVG into gametes. Amander Clark and Insoo Hyun will consider the scientific, ethical, and policy issues related to IVG as a next generation approach for human reproduction.

Virtual, Via Zoom – register to receive the link – https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ehdq9yx4b355217e&oseq=&c=506f7efa-b553-11e9-aefb-d4ae52753a3b&ch=5072bb7e-b553-11e9-aefb-d4ae52753a3b

Speaker: Presenter: Amander Clark, PhD

Affiliation: Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, UCLA