Scientists have bred mice by using 2 biological males

CINCINNATI (WKRC) — A new study says scientists have bred mice using two biological males, and researchers are speculating if the process could be replicated in humans.

The study, published last week in the journal Nature, says Japanese scientists were able togrow egg cellsby using skin cells of two male mice. The scientistsmanipulated the genetic codeof stem cells created from the male mice to create mature eggs.

“This is a significant advance with significant potential applications,” said Keith Latham, a developmental biologist at Michigan State University.

The survival rate of the newborn mice was low. Out of 630 transferred embryos, only seven developed into mice pups.

Researchers say this technique is still a long way away from being used with people in any capacity.

"There are big differences between a mouse and the human," saidKatsuhiko Hayashi, the lead developmental biologist on the project.

Still, researchers speculate that continuing to study the process could lead to notable developments.

Hayashi's approach could provide a treatment for some forms of infertility in women, such as Turner's syndrome, in which women lack part of or all of one X chromosome. The process could also create the opportunity for same-sex couples to have a biological child in the future, some speculate.

"I don't know whether they'll be available for reproduction,"Hayashi said. "That is not a question just for the scientific programme, but also for [society]."