8 October 2012 Last updated at 22:25 ET By Regan Morris BBC News, Los Angeles <\/p>\n
US researchers say they will redouble their efforts to create human sperm from stem cells following the success of a Japanese study involving mice. <\/p>\n
A Kyoto University team used mice stem cells to create eggs, which were fertilised to produce baby mice. <\/p>\n
Dr Renee Pera, of Stanford University in California, aims to create human sperm to use for reproduction within two years, and eggs within five years. <\/p>\n
Infertility affects up to 15% of reproductive-aged couples worldwide. <\/p>\n
\"I know people think it's Frankenstein medicine, but I think it's not an imagined or lessened health problem - infertility affects your whole life,\" Dr Pera says. <\/p>\n
\"To have sex and have a baby would be a super simple decision, but not everybody can do it.\" <\/p>\n
But using embryonic stem cells for research - as Dr Pera's lab at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine does - is controversial because the embryos are destroyed in order to use them. <\/p>\n
Dr Pera's lab uses embryos left over from IVF treatments. <\/p>\n
Stem cells have the potential to grow into any cell in the body. Creating eggs in a lab could become mainstream, much like IVF is viewed today. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read more: 8 October 2012 Last updated at 22:25 ET By Regan Morris BBC News, Los Angeles US researchers say they will redouble their efforts to create human sperm from stem cells following the success of a Japanese study involving mice. A Kyoto University team used mice stem cells to create eggs, which were fertilised to produce baby mice. Continue reading
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