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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Hannah Devlin in Paris

Lab-grown sperm and eggs just a few years away, scientists say

In-vitro fertilization process close up
If shown to be safe, the process could pave the way for anyone – regardless of fertility or age – to have biological children. Photograph: Antonio Marquez lanza/Getty Images

Scientists are just a few years from creating viable human sex cells in the lab, according to an internationally renowned pioneer of the field, who says the advance could open up biology-defying possibilities for reproduction.

Speaking to the Guardian, Prof Katsuhiko Hayashi, a developmental geneticist at the University of Osaka, said rapid progress is being made towards being able to transform adult skin or blood cells into eggs and sperm, a feat of genetic conjury known as in-vitro gametogenesis (IVG).

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