Sperm Grown in Lab for the First Time in France

A "fully functioning" sperm grown in a private laboratory in France has been created and research could be used to address infertility problems in some men, French scientists claims.

The Kallistem lab in France announced that they have created human semen for the first time out of testicular biopsies, according to The New York Post.

The company said in a statement, "At the end of 2014 the company was able to produce fully formed human spermatozoa in the laboratory setting, using patient testicular biopsies containing only immature germ cells, or spermatogonia."

"From a testicular biopsy, it will be possible to obtain spermatozoa that will be cryopreserved until the man wishes to father a child," the company added.

Men who are suffering from infertility, nonobstructive azoospermia or abnormal sperm production could benefit from these findings. The researchers will reportedly carry out human trials in the next couple of years in 2016 and 2017.

Because the research has not yet been published and because the findings have only been coming from scientists involved in the study, some experts are not yet ready to receive the news as it is. If the findings are confirmed, then this could be a remarkable feat because some scientists have been attempting this project for 15 years, The New York Post adds.

RFI reports that the French scientists will publish their research in peer-reviewed journals in late June this year. The researchers also added that the study is spurred due to "a major issue [because] numbers of spermatozoa have declined by 50 per cent over the last 50 years."

If the findings are true, then it will open new opportunities that can help preserve and restore male impotency.

The co-founder of the Bioethics Forum, Professor Israel Nisand said, "If this is true, it is a considerable step forward in treating male sterility," according to Inquisitr.

The report adds that If the research is proven to be successful, it will take 72 days for reproduction cells to develop into sperm from genetic material of biopsies of men who are infertile. If the new treatment is approved, it is expected that it could generate more than $2.5 billion with more than 50,000 male patients annually.

Prior to the new claimed discovery by Kallistem, the feat of recreating fully functional sperm from genetic material was only achieved in lab mice, Inquisitr notes.

The CEO of the Kallistem laboratory, Isabelle Cuoc, said via the UK Independent that their team is the first in the world to have the technology that can recreate fully formed sperm that is "in vitro with sufficient yield for IVF." 

Kallistem laboratory is a company based in Lyon, France.