Why is in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) important?
As a woman ages, her fertility declines until it disappears altogether with the advent of menopause.
If gay couples want to have children, only one of the parents can be biologically related to the child.
In both cases, the parents must rely on donated sperm/eggs in order to produce a child.
But what if women could produce healthy eggs at any age?
What if both partners in a gay couple could be biologically related to their children?
Such is the promise of in vitro gametogenesis or IVG.
Currently, gay men and infertile women must rely on donated eggs in order to produce a child. However, donated eggs are costly, and the process is hard on the egg donors.
The full cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor eggs in the US depends on location, clinic, and additional services. But it ranges from $12,000 to $20,000 or more per cycle. The number of cycles depends on donor's age, egg quality, and the recipient's fertility status. On average, it takes 2-4 cycles before a successful pregnancy occurs.
Out of the total cost, $8,000 to $15,000 per cycle goes to the egg donors. This compensation can vary depending on factors such as location, clinic policies, and donor qualifications. Some agencies may also offer additional compensation or incentives for donors who complete multiple cycles or have successful pregnancies.
So the total cost of buying enough donor eggs for a successful pregnancy ranges from $16 K - $60 K.
The egg donation process can be hard on the donors as well. Some of the possible complications include:
Physical side effects: Hormonal medications used during the process can cause mood swings, hot flashes, breast tenderness, and other physical symptoms.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS): A rare but serious condition in which the ovaries become overly stimulated, leading to abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and weight gain.
Egg retrieval complications: The procedure itself can cause mild discomfort, bruising, or bleeding.
Psychological risks: Some donors may experience emotional distress from the process, including anxiety, depression, or feelings of guilt.
With mature in vitro gametogenesis technology, it will be possible for anyone to produce either sperm or eggs on their own, depending on what's needed.
How does IVG work?
During normal reproduction, human germ cells become eggs (in women) and sperm (in males). Upon fertilization the sperm and egg fuse to form a zygote, which divides and grows into a baby. In early stages of development, the zygotes cells have the ability to become any cell type, a property called "pluripotency". As the zygote develops, the pluripotent stem cells become specialized into different tissue types: skin, muscle, brain, etc. Specialized cells that have become part of the body are called "somatic cells".
Scientists are now able to reverse the process, at least in mice. Using transcription factor (TF)–induced reprogramming, scientists can turn skin cells back into pluripotent stem cells, and from there into viable sperm or eggs.
Embryos derived from in vitro cultured eggs have been taken to term. However, the success rate is only 1-4% relative to embryos derived from natural eggs. Researchers believe that the higher failure rate of embryos derived from synthetic eggs fail due to a higher incidence of chromosome mispairings, lower mitochondrial DNA amounts, and precocious resumption of the first meiotic division.
The Gametogenesis Prize is intended to accelerate the rate of development of an affordable, reliable, open source, open hardware, DIY gametogenesis kit.
In addition to meeting the common terms of all of the Genesis Prizes, the Gametogenesis prize will pay out when:
The kit costs under $20000.
The kit produces viable sperm or eggs at least 80% of the time from any donors skin cells.
The kit detects abnormalities in sperm and eggs and cull them as needed.
Allows for the storage of the resulting gametes indefinitely without injury.
The kit can be operated by anyone capable of operating a car.
The kit requires no more than 240 hours (30 days) of hands on training.
The final prize amounts are yet to be decided.