Scientists working at the frontier of reproductive medicine say a technology that seemed like science fiction just a few years ago is now within serious reach. In-vitro gametogenesis (IVG), the ability to grow human eggs and sperm entirely in a laboratory from ordinary adult cells, could become a clinical reality within ten years, according to some of the world’s leading researchers in the field.

For fertility clinics, embryologists, and patients navigating complex fertility journeys, the implications are profound.

IVG works by taking adult skin or blood cells and reprogramming them into induced pluripotent stem cells. Those stem cells are then guided, through a carefully controlled laboratory process, to develop into mature reproductive cells. Rather than retrieving eggs through hormonal stimulation and surgical intervention, the entire process shifts upstream into the lab.

Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi of the University of Osaka, one of the most respected figures in this field, has stated that viable lab-grown human eggs and sperm could be achievable within the next decade. His work, and that of colleagues at the University of Kyoto including Professor Mitinori Saitou, has positioned Japanese reproductive science at the forefront of IVG research globally.

In the private sector, California-based Conception Biosciences is among the companies advancing this technology with serious commercial backing, having attracted investment from figures including Sam Altman. The organisation reports meaningful laboratory progress, including the development of ovarian follicle structures, a critical step in egg maturation.

Why This Matters Beyond the Headlines

The potential reach of IVG extends well beyond any single patient group. Women who have lost fertility through cancer treatment, those who have never produced viable eggs, and older patients for whom egg freezing in the UK is no longer a viable option could all potentially benefit. Same-sex couples seeking a biological connection to their children represent another group for whom IVG could open entirely new doors.

Crucially, IVG does not replace the broader fertility treatment pathway. It changes how reproductive cells are created. Everything that follows, including fertilisation, embryo development, embryo cryopreservation, cryogenic storage, and transfer, remains as central as ever. In a world where IVG expands access to fertility treatment options, the demand for reliable, precision storage infrastructure is only likely to grow.

For UK IVF clinics already investing in cryogenic storage IVF equipment and vitrification technology, the message is clear: the foundations being built now will matter enormously as this field develops.

Where the Challenges Lie

Progress in reproductive science rarely follows a straight line. The principal technical challenge in IVG is producing eggs that are chromosomally normal and genetically stable. Results achieved in animal models, including successful mouse births from lab-derived cells, have not yet translated reliably to human cells, and researchers are candid about the complexity involved.

Ethical questions also loom large. The prospect of reproduction increasingly detached from biological age, or the creation of eggs and sperm from any adult cell, raises questions that science alone cannot answer. Regulatory frameworks will need to evolve carefully alongside the technology. In the UK, the use of lab-grown reproductive cells in fertility treatment is not currently permitted, and any route to clinical application would require both new legislation and a substantial body of safety evidence.

What the Fertility Sector Should Be Watching

IVG is not imminent. But it is no longer distant either. The fertility sector, from clinicians and embryologists to equipment suppliers and storage specialists, is entering a period where staying informed about the direction of reproductive science is not optional.

At Cryolab, we have been supplying IVF clinics and fertility laboratories across the UK with cryogenic storage solutions, vitrification consumables, and specialist fertility equipment since 2000. We follow developments in reproductive science closely because our role is to support the people doing this work at the highest level.

Whether the conversation is about CBS vitrification kits, controlled rate freezing, liquid nitrogen storage or the next generation of embryo cryopreservation technology the goal is the same: ensuring that biological material is protected with absolute precision, whatever pathway it follows.

Read the original Guardian reporting here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jul/05/lab-grown-sperm-and-eggs-scientists-reproduction