Scientists create human eggs from skin cells in breakthrough for fertility treatment

In a pioneering study, researchers have successfully generated fertilisable human eggs from ordinary skin cells, raising hopes for new infertility treatments.

The proof-of-concept work, published on Tuesday in scientific journal Nature Communications, used a technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Scientists removed the nucleus, the genetic control centre, from human skin cells and transplanted it into donor eggs that had been stripped of their own DNA. This experimental process, which the team calls ‘mitomeiosis’’ triggered a reductive division mimicking natural meiosis and allowed ploidy reduction.

From this, the team produced 82 functional human oocytes, or immature eggs, which were then fertilised in the lab. Some developed into early embryos, integrating genetic material from both the skin cell donor and sperm.

Chromosome sequencing confirmed that the oocytes could discard one set of chromosomes, leaving a near-haploid genome that could combine with sperm DNA. While some irregularities were observed such as random chromosome segregation without crossover recombination, the results demonstrate, for the first time, the feasibility of creating fertilisable eggs directly from human somatic cells.

The achievement could open new doors for individuals who cannot produce viable eggs, including women experiencing age-related infertility. However, scientists stress that this research remains early-stage and purely experimental. 

If refined, this method could eventually allow patients to have genetically related children without relying on donor eggs, marking a paradigm shift in fertility care.