TOKYO, Dec. 31 -- In a potential boon to infertile males, Japanese scientists have succeeded in cloning mouse embryo cells, turning them into sperm, a procedure that if successful in humans could bypass existing laws against cloning people, the Times of London reported Sunday.
The new technique was disclosed at a recent conference of biologists in Japan and the results will be published in the coming year, the report said.
Poshiaki Nose, of the Mitsubishi Kasei Institute, was quoted saying, "We have no reason to doubt that these sperm are viable."
The technique could potentially get around the Japanese ban on cloning humans by cloning only the seed for a new baby instead of the baby itself. The researchers plan to test the techniques on adult men, the report said. The scientific team also believes it will be able to reprogram male cells into producing eggs so that men can be both father and mother of children, the Times said.
