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Startup aims to make lab-grown human eggs, transforming options for creating families (www.npr.org)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by nihilx7E3@beehaw.org to c/science@beehaw.org

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tl;dr: a biotech startup named conception has made breakthroughs in the field of in vitro gametogenesis, a process which allows labs to grow an induced pluripotent stem cell into a full-fledged human egg. this technology can allow women who can't produce eggs to still be able to have kids, & for same-sex couples to have babies with both partners' dna.

conception claims to have gotten farther in this process than any other lab so far, creating mini-ovaries with follicle cells that the eggs need to thrive. however, given the secrecy & lack of evidence so far, some doctors & academics doubt that conception has actually made this breakthrough. some are also concerned about the ethical & moral implications of this project.

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[–] squaresinger@feddit.de 7 points 2 years ago

I first read the title wrong, and thought they are talking about eggs, as in bird eggs.

But the process they discribe has been used for e.g. mice for quite some time, so it's not exactly science fiction any more. I really hope they get it working solidly, since that would make any IVF so much easier and less painful for the women. Egg extraction is a pretty hard process, together with all the required hormons. Additionally, this could shave off quite a bit of the cost, making it available for lower income couples as well.

[–] unwellsnail@sopuli.xyz 7 points 2 years ago

After all the news recently about lab grown meat the last half of the title really took me a moment to process.