In vitro gametogenesis (IVG) is the process of making sperm and egg cells (gametes) from somatic (body) cells, such as skin cells. The first step of this process was developed nearly 20 years ago, when Japanese scientists discovered how to take somatic cells and turn them into pluripotent cells (usually called IPS cells, standing for Induced Pluripotent Stem cells), i.e. cells that can differentiate into many different types of cells, such as blood, heart muscle, eye lens etc. This process reverses the usual way in which an organism develops starting from an embryo, which then divides and different cells gradually become specialised (differentiated).
Once you have IPS cells, one thing you can try to do with them is to make them differentiate into precursor cells of egg and sperm. This has now been done successfully in rodents, and the resulting sperm and egg cells have been used to create new, and apparently healthy animals. A number of groups of scientists are working hard to achieve the same thing in humans. Many scientists expect this to happen within a few years.
From the point of view of opponents of human genetic modification, this technology is dangerous as it may provide an easier means of creating genetically modified humans than modification of embryos. Genetic modification of human embryos often generates dangerous off-target mutations that can even disrupt whole chromosomes. The purported technical advantage of creating gamete precursor cells in vitro, is that they can be grown in the laboratory after they have been genetically modified, and their genomes checked to help ensure that only the desired modification has been made. In theory this would be a way to overcome some of the safety concerns about HGM, strengthening the prospect of IVG as the main prospect for advocates of HGM. Specifically, some of the start-up companies aiming to develop the technology for HGM, that have been created in the USA since the re-election of Donald Trump are actively pursuing IVG.
However, the process of creating gametes in this way itself creates biological risks. Since IPS cells are never going to be identical to natural pluripotent cells, there will be epigenetic differences based on chemical modifications of the DNA that controls which genes are turned on and off. In addition, the starting skin cells may have accumulated dangerous mutations in their earlier growth and division, mutations which are not present in natural precursor cells.
IVG would also create the possibility for same-sex couples and even single people to create embryos that were fully genetically related to them. For example, one member of a gay male couple could have IPS cells made which were then turned into eggs, to be fertilised by their partner. A single person could have both eggs and sperm created from their IPS cells and so create a child (using surrogacy) that was genetically related only to them. There is obviously nothing wrong in creating possibilities for having babies outside of the heterosexual nuclear family model, and the Coalition supports this. However, we are against the exploitation of this possibility to push for a technoscientist agenda, because of its dangers and the commercial intrusion into social reconfiguration.
In 2024, the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) held a conference on IVG, which, as is typical for the NAS, was extremely supportive the technology. Coalition member, The Alliance for Humane Biotechnology, was present at the conference and has created a position paper on IVG and detailed critique of the arguments made at the conference.