Artificial wombs, cloning, IVF, and other reproductive technology

[wjfox]

A general thread for news and discussions of artificial wombs, cloning, IVF, and other reproductive technology.

Let's start with a really impressive video, showing the "EctoLife" concept...

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"EctoLife" artificial womb concept revealed

11th December 2022

A German-based biotechnologist and filmmaker has presented his concept for an artificial womb. This futuristic device could allow a foetus to grow and develop outside the body, without the need for women to undergo pregnancy.

Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/videos/9 ... meline.htm

[Vector]

"EctoLife" artificial womb concept revealed

Reminiscent of frames from the Matrix ))))

[R8Z]

A general thread for news and discussions of artificial wombs, cloning, IVF, and other reproductive technology.

Let's start with a really impressive video, showing the "EctoLife" concept...

-----

"EctoLife" artificial womb concept revealed

11th December 2022

A German-based biotechnologist and filmmaker has presented his concept for an artificial womb. This futuristic device could allow a foetus to grow and develop outside the body, without the need for women to undergo pregnancy.

Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/videos/9 ... meline.htm

It's really cool. I was just about to post this one and then saw your thread. I'd use it.

[BaobabScion]

Good on ya' for making this thread.

To reiterate my opinion, I'll reference what I said a few years ago in conversation with funkervogt: https://web.archive.org/web/20210415151 ... ies/page-4

funkervogt said:
Artificial wombs should exist by the end of this century, allowing men to create children without women (and vice versa).

Radical genetic engineering could turn humans into hermaphrodites. Though the prospect of such a thing is repugnant to us, it would carry some advantages. If no sex partners were available, you could self-fertilize, which would make the species as a whole more resilient against extinction.

SeedNotYetSprouted [me] said:
This is key. I've long been of the view that ectogenesis is more critical than space exploration when it comes to safeguarding humanity. One person needs to be able to give rise to thousands or else we will continue on in our perpetual state of fragility. Genetic diversity could be genegineered and stimulated as desired or as necessary. The bottlenecks that we've faced historically due to our sexual limitations would be erased.

Should humans become temporarily extinct, it would be possible for synthetic intelligences to use genetic samples and synthetic wombs to restart the human race.

Another avenue is, as you've alluded to but confused with the term 'hermaphroditism', conversion into a parthenogenetic organism. Being an asexual - in the reproductive sense, not the sexually orientated sense - would have quite a bit of utility, especially for a person in a space with little technology and therefore unable to maintain or create the artificial wombs.

[wjfox]

Male contraceptive pill prototype stops sperm swimming

3 hours ago

An on-demand, non-hormonal male contraceptive pill may be a real possibility say scientists who have found a cell pathway, or switch, that stops sperm from being able to swim.

Tests in mice suggest it keeps sperm stunned for at least a few hours - long enough to stop them reaching the egg.

Many more tests are planned and needed, moving to rabbits before people.

The idea is users could pop a pill an hour before sex and keep an eye on the clock for when it wears off.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-64635446

[weatheriscool]

How naked mole-rats could hold the key to reversing the menopause
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/0 ... mole-rats/
'Extraordinary' discovery in mammals raises hopes of prolonging fertility in humans
By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor 21 February 2023 • 10:22am

Naked mole rats continue to produce eggs throughout life, scientists have found, raising hopes of reversing the menopause if experts can work out how they are achieving the feat

Naked mole rats continue to produce eggs throughout life, scientists have found, raising hopes of reversing the menopause if experts can work out how they are achieving the feat.

The subterranean rodents are known for their exceptional fertility, where the female queen can continue giving birth into old age.

But until now, scientists did not know whether they were simply born with an exceptional number of eggs, or whether they had managed to find a way of continuing to make new eggs throughout their lives - something no other mammal can do.

[wjfox]

Breakthrough as eggs made from male mice cells

9 minutes ago

A Japanese researcher has told a major genetics conference that he has created eggs from the cells of male mice.

The research, still in its early stages, involved turning male XY sex chromosomes into female XX ones.

Prof Katsuhiko Hayashi from Osaka University is working on developing fertility treatments.

The development, which he has submitted for publication in the scientific journal Nature, raises the prospect of male couples having their own children.

Prof George Daley of Harvard Medical School, who is not involved in the research, said that there was still a long way to go before society was faced with such a decision.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64893170

[Xorax]

This is very interesting.

Now if only Abortion was legal in America. We would have more investments into embryonic stem cell research. We could at least treat diseases like cancer, stroke, AIDS, neurodegenerative diseases, ebola complications etc.

My only issue is that things like IVF, Designer Babies, Artificial Wombs, Male Birth control require further studies and testings.

[weatheriscool]

Tell me about the latest research into male womb transplantation and the countries currently working towards it.

Male womb transplantation, or ectogenesis, is an emerging experimental procedure where a man receives a transplanted uterus so that he can carry and gestate a pregnancy. This is very novel research and there are a few teams actively working on developing this technology:

• In Turkey, a gynecologist named Dr. Turkay Hasanov performed the first womb transplants in women in 2018 and 2019. His team is now planning to attempt the first male womb transplants. They have found male candidates interested in receiving a womb transplant so they can experience pregnancy and childbirth. However, the procedures are complex, costly, and risky, so they are still refining the techniques before attempting male recipients.

• In the UK, researchers at the University of Bath are investigating the feasibility of male womb transplants and developing new approaches. They aim to create an "ectogenesis suit" - an artificial womb environment outside the body to support early-stage fetus development. This could eventually allow pregnancy to take place entirely outside the body, for both male and female recipients. But they are still quite a few years from developing a functional prototype.

• In Israel, the company Bioengineering Solutions is developing an "ectogenesis incubator" - essentially an artificial womb. They aim to enable pregnancy to take place entirely outside the body, which could allow for male womb transplants. However, they are also still quite a few years from having a functional prototype ready for human use. Most experts estimate we are at least 10-20 years from developing a viable artificial womb.

• In the U.S., researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Drs. Alan Flake and James McMahon published research on male womb transplants in mice in 2012. They transplanted a uterus from a female mouse into a male mouse, in which the male then carried and gave birth to pups. However, they have not yet continued this research to larger animals or human application. Most experts think U.S. progress in this area lags other countries like Turkey, UK and Israel.

While we have seen some preliminary successes in male womb transplants in animals and development of artificial womb technologies, we are still quite a long way off from these kinds of procedures being medically feasible and commonly available for humans. A lot more research is needed to ensure the safety, ethics and long-term health of both the carriers and any offspring. So male womb transplants remain on the fringe of medical science at this point and only speculative for future human use. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[weatheriscool]

A Game-Changer in Male Contraception: Researchers Identify Key Gene
https://scitechdaily.com/a-game-changer ... -key-gene/
By Washington State University April 17, 2023
Young Man Taking Pill

Researchers at Washington State University have discovered a gene called Arrdc5, expressed in the testicular tissue of mice, pigs, cattle, and humans, which could lead to the development of a highly effective, reversible, and non-hormonal male contraceptive for both humans and animals. The study found that when the gene was knocked out in mice, it caused infertility only in males by affecting sperm count, movement, and shape. The protein encoded by this gene is essential for normal sperm production, and the team is now working on designing a drug to inhibit its production or function. This approach avoids hormonal interference, a significant obstacle in male contraception. The gene’s presence across mammalian species also suggests potential applications in livestock and wildlife population management.

Researchers have discovered a gene, Arrdc5, which could pave the way for a reversible, non-hormonal male contraceptive. The gene affects sperm count, movement, and shape, and a drug targeting the gene’s protein would avoid hormonal interference, making it easily reversible.

The Discovery of a gene in multiple mammalian species could pave the way for a highly effective, reversible, and non-hormonal male contraceptive for humans and animals.

Washington State University researchers identified expression of the gene, Arrdc5, in the testicular tissue of mice, pigs, cattle, and humans. When they knocked out the gene in mice, it created infertility only in the males, impacting their sperm count, movement, and shape. The researchers detailed their findings today (April 17) in the journal Nature Communications.