From Stem Cell to Oocyte in a Dish

October 18, 2016

(The Scientist) – For the first time, scientists generate functional mouse eggs from stem cells in culture. Scientists have for this first time reprogrammed murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into fully functional oocytes in the laboratory. The paper describing the technique, published today (October 17) in Nature, provides a blueprint to study theprocess of oogenesis, and paves the way to attempt a similar technique using human ESCs and iPSCs.