New report outlines ethical and policy considerations for lab-grown reproductive cells

Critical questions need addressing before any clinical use of in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), says a new report by a Lancaster University-based research project.

The new report by the Future of Human Reproduction project, based at Lancaster University, working in partnership with the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, provides an overview of the ethical and policy questions raised by in vitro gametogenesis (IVG).

IVG is the lab-based creation of egg and sperm cells from stem cells.

While still in early development stages, this technology could, says the report, transform fertility treatment by:

• Providing a less invasive alternative to current egg collection procedures, as eggs could instead be manufactured using (for example) skin cells
• Facilitating more widespread use of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), a process which screens embryos for specific genetic traits or conditions before their use in fertility treatment
• Offering same-sex couples the option of having children genetically related to them both

Research is advancing rapidly, with commercial interest and investment in the field, and there is a danger that regulatory frameworks will lag behind, says the report.

The report identifies critical questions that need addressing before any clinical use, including how consent should work when someone’s stem cells are used to create reproductive cells, what rights children born from IVG should have to information about their origins, and how legal parenthood would and should work when more than two people contribute genetically to a child.

Stephen Wilkinson, a Distinguished Professor of Bioethics at Lancaster University and Future of Human Reproduction Principal Investigator, said, “IVG remains in the early stages of clinical development but, if successful, could transform current fertility treatments and open up new possibilities for biological parenthood, including potentially a child with two male or two female genetic parents.

“Before any application in human reproduction is considered, however, it is essential that there is a thorough, well-informed debate about any ethical, legal, or policy implications.”

The report calls for collaborative consideration by scientists, ethicists, policymakers, regulators, and the public before the technology moves toward clinical implementation.