Fertility watchdog mulls ethics of lab-grown sperm and eggs

Mass-producing eggs and sperm in a laboratory in order to have a baby with yourself or three other people in a "multiplex" parenting arrangement might sound like the plot of a dystopian novel.

- Hannah Devlin

But these scenarios are under consideration by the UK's fertility watchdog, which said the technology could be on the brink of viability.

Bolstered by Silicon Valley investment, scientists are making such progress that lab-grown human eggs and sperm could be a reality within a decade, a meeting of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) board heard last week.

In-vitro gametes (IVGs) - eggs or sperm that are created in the lab from genetically reprogrammed skin or stem cells - are viewed as the holy grail of fertility research.

The technology promises to remove age barriers to conception and could pave the way for same-sex couples to have biological children together, but also poses unprecedented medical and ethical risks, which the HFEA now believes need to be considered in a proposed overhaul of fertility laws.