In a groundbreaking scientific breakthrough, researchers in the U.S. have successfully created human eggs from skin cells — a development that could one day allow babies to be born without biological mothers.
Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University achieved the feat by transforming skin cells into egg-like cells capable of being fertilized. The discovery could help women with fertility problems have their own genetic children and, in theory, make it possible for two men to have a child that shares their DNA — with no genetic contribution from a woman.
Professor Richard Anderson from the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved in the study, described it as a “major advance,” adding, “Many women are unable to have a family because they have lost their eggs, often due to cancer treatment. The ability to generate new eggs would be a huge step forward.”
The new process, known as somatic cell transfer, involves taking the nucleus from a skin cell and placing it into a donor egg cell whose own nucleus has been removed. Normally, eggs contain only 23 chromosomes — half the number found in skin cells. To solve the problem of excess chromosomes, the research team developed a new technique called mitomeiosis, which mimics natural cell division and discards the extra set, leaving a viable egg.
Using this method, the scientists produced 82 functional eggs, which they then fertilized in a lab. About nine percent developed into blastocysts, the early stage of embryo formation typically reached before being implanted in the uterus during IVF procedures.
Although promising, the study also revealed significant challenges — 91 percent of the fertilized eggs failed to develop, and several blastocysts showed chromosomal abnormalities. For ethical reasons, researchers did not grow them beyond the early stages.
Experts are calling the results an “exciting proof of concept,” emphasizing that the technique is still in its infancy. Professor Ying Cheong of the University of Southampton said, “Clinicians are seeing more and more patients who cannot use their own eggs due to age or medical conditions. While this research is still early-stage, it could one day transform our understanding of infertility and miscarriage.”
If proven safe and effective in future studies, this breakthrough could revolutionize reproductive science — offering hope to millions struggling with infertility and even reshaping what it means to create human life.
