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In a significant breakthrough, Chinese researchers created a mouse with no biological mother using stem cell engineering. This experiment raises hopes for future unisexual reproduction
A groundbreaking experiment in China saw a mouse with no biological mother survive until puberty. (Representative/Shutterstock)
Scientists frequently conduct experiments on animals to address human health challenges and other physical issues. Mice are often favoured subjects due to similarities between their brain structure and that of humans. These experiments span various fields, including genetic engineering.
Recently, a groundbreaking experiment in China saw a mouse with no biological mother survive until puberty. Let’s delve into why this is considered a significant achievement and whether it opens possibilities for children to be born from two men without a woman.
Where was this study done?
A team of Chinese researchers led by molecular biologist Zhi Kun Li of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) achieved this milestone using precise stem cell engineering. This isn’t the first instance of scientists creating a mouse with two fathers. In 2023, researchers in Japan accomplished a similar feat, but the mouse’s lifespan was limited.
Have such attempts been made before?
Previous attempts to generate eggs from male stem cells have been unsuccessful. While surrogacy offers a pathway for children to be born without a biological mother, this process presents various challenges.
Notably, the mice born in China, though incapable of independent reproduction, exhibit superior health compared to similar animals, displaying no apparent health issues.
Can such an experiment be done on humans?
It’s important to note that half of the mice siblings in this study did not survive to adulthood, and approximately 90 per cent of the embryos were not viable. The success rate requires significant improvement before this technology can be considered for human application. However, the researchers believe their work will contribute to a better understanding of certain genetic mental disorders in humans.
A Specific Disorder
Typically, when a male’s sperm fertilises an egg, the genes are doubled, requiring half the genes in each pair to be silenced. When genetic material comes from two sperm, this silencing often occurs twice, leading to various disorders. This imprinting abnormality makes the regulation of specific genes or chromosomal regions dependent on the contributions of both the male and female parents.
This disorder became the root cause of the problem
Li and his colleagues devised a method to rectify these instances using a combination of genetic techniques, including gene deletion, region editing, and the addition or removal of genetic base pairs.
According to the researchers, this gene imprinting poses a fundamental obstacle to unisexual reproduction. Previous attempts to create artificial embryos with two mothers or two fathers faced challenges due to these genes.
How was the solution found
In 2004, Japanese researchers created the first mouse without a father, using genetic material from two mothers. However, reproduction without sperm is a simpler process. Sperm cells, being highly specialised, cannot divide into other cell types. Creating an embryo solely from sperm cells is significantly more challenging. Consequently, scientists had to generate an embryonic stem cell and use it to create a new embryo.
This refined technique improved the success rate, with researchers successfully developing 13 per cent of the embryos into live mice. However, these offspring are incapable of further reproduction. In their study published in ‘Cell Stem Cell’, the researchers posit that refining the imprinting genes will lead to improved outcomes.
