Mice created from 2 mums... and no dad
SCIENTISTS have created mice using DNA from two mothers – with no help from a father.
The baby mice have even gone on to have healthy young of their own.
The research suggests it could be feasible to create humans whose biological parents are two women, or two men – although experts say this is still a long way off.
Mice with two fathers were also created but only lived for two days. These mice also had genetic abnormalities, such as long tongues.
For the study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences injected embryonic stem cells from one female mouse into eggs from another. Three parts of the stem cell genetic code – that act as barriers to reproduction – were deleted. The study produced 29 live female mice from 210 embryos.
The mice were normal, lived to adulthood, and had babies of their own.
Animals such as fish and lizards can reproduce without the other sex but scientists have found it difficult to create offspring from same-sex mammals.
Mice have been created from two mothers in previous studies but most had genetic defects, while those in the latest study appear to be healthier. Study author Qi Zhou said: ‘We tried to find out whether more normal mice with two female parents, or even mice with two male parents, could be produced.’
Dr Teresa Holm, of the University of Auckland, commented: ‘In the long term, this knowledge may help researchers improve assisted reproductive technologies for infertile [human] couples.’
Dr Christophe Galichet, research scientist at the Francis Crick Institute in London, said technical difficulties meant it was still ‘unthinkable’ to create a human baby with either two mothers or fathers using the same method.