Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have achieved a major breakthrough by growing human eggs in the laboratory for the first time. This development could offer new hope for women facing infertility due to cancer treatments or other conditions.
The research, published in the journal Molecular Human Reproduction, involved taking ovarian tissue from women and growing the eggs to maturity in a lab setting. While the eggs were not fertilised, the technique could eventually help preserve fertility for women undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Separately, a pioneering therapy for terminal breast cancer has shown remarkable results. Judy Perkins, a patient with tennis-ball-sized tumours in her liver and secondary cancers throughout her body, was given three months to live. However, doctors at the US National Cancer Institute used an experimental living drug that genetically analysed her tumour and extracted white blood cells capable of attacking the cancer. These were grown in huge quantities and injected back into her, leading to her survival.
These advances come amid a year of promise in medical science, including progress in reversing blindness and paralysis. However, the field has also faced ethical debates, such as the claims by Chinese scientist He Jiankui of creating the world's first gene-edited babies, which have been met with scepticism due to a lack of published details.
