SCIENTISTS have grown human sperm in a lab - making men redundant.
The breakthrough using stem cells has massive implications for people facing infertility and single women who want to start a family.
It could also be used to bypass strict laws letting kids conceived through donor sperm trace their biological dads.
Stem cells can mimic any cells in the body, replacing damaged tissue and bone. Placed next to other cells, they grow to a perfect match.
The research was led by Prof Karim Nayernia at Newcastle University and the North-East England Stem Cell Institute.
They cultured stem cells in dishes and exposed them to sperm cells and chemicals that encouraged them to develop into sperm.
The study was controversial because it used stem cells from days-old human embryos that were then discarded.
Prof Nayernia, whose team created a mouse after making mouse sperm, said of the breakthrough: "This could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child genetically their own.
"It will also let scientists study how cells are affected by toxins.
"We can understand that some people may have concerns, but this does not mean that humans can be produced in a dish and we have no intention of doing this."
Medical Research Council expert Prof Robin Lovell Badge said: "Although they find some of the sperm cells have tails and can swim, this is not evidence of normality."
One in seven couples in the UK suffer fertility problems and a poor sperm count is the cause for a fifth of these.
The breakthrough using stem cells has massive implications for people facing infertility and single women who want to start a family.
It could also be used to bypass strict laws letting kids conceived through donor sperm trace their biological dads.
Stem cells can mimic any cells in the body, replacing damaged tissue and bone. Placed next to other cells, they grow to a perfect match.
The research was led by Prof Karim Nayernia at Newcastle University and the North-East England Stem Cell Institute.
They cultured stem cells in dishes and exposed them to sperm cells and chemicals that encouraged them to develop into sperm.
The study was controversial because it used stem cells from days-old human embryos that were then discarded.
Prof Nayernia, whose team created a mouse after making mouse sperm, said of the breakthrough: "This could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child genetically their own.
"It will also let scientists study how cells are affected by toxins.
"We can understand that some people may have concerns, but this does not mean that humans can be produced in a dish and we have no intention of doing this."
Medical Research Council expert Prof Robin Lovell Badge said: "Although they find some of the sperm cells have tails and can swim, this is not evidence of normality."
One in seven couples in the UK suffer fertility problems and a poor sperm count is the cause for a fifth of these.
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