Utah Lab Grows Human Sperm, Creates Healthy Embryos

Scientists have just achieved something researchers have been attempting for nearly a century: growing fully functional human sperm in a laboratory dish.

Paterna Biosciences, a Utah startup, announced it has successfully created mature sperm from testicular stem cells and used them to make healthy embryos. The breakthrough offers hope to the 10 to 15 percent of infertile men who produce no sperm at all and currently have almost no options for having biological children.

CEO Alexander Pastuszak, a urologist and professor at the University of Utah, explains that his team cracked the code by figuring out the precise molecular signals needed at each stage of sperm development. In the body, this process takes just over two months and involves strict control mechanisms at every step.

The company tested various combinations of molecules until they found the right recipe to guide stem cells through the complete journey to mature sperm. "People didn't understand, or had never figured out, what growth factors you have to supply to these cells," says Larry Lipshultz, a urology professor at Baylor College of Medicine who isn't involved with the research.

Roughly half of all infertility cases are linked to male factors like low sperm count or poorly swimming sperm. Many of these men still have the stem cells that create sperm, but their surrounding environment is somehow defective.

By recreating a healthy environment in the lab, Paterna can produce thousands of sperm from a single tissue biopsy. Early testing shows the lab-made sperm look "effectively identical" to naturally made sperm.

The Ripple Effect

This advancement could transform fertility treatment for millions worldwide. The company plans larger studies comparing lab-made sperm to naturally produced sperm by analyzing fertilization rates and checking embryos for genetic abnormalities.

If these trials succeed, the procedure could begin helping couples start pregnancies as soon as next year. The technology addresses one of the most challenging scenarios in reproductive medicine, where traditional IVF and other treatments simply cannot help.

Beyond male infertility, the research deepens our understanding of human reproduction and opens doors to other medical applications. The ability to recreate such a complex biological process outside the body represents a fundamental scientific achievement.

Pastuszak emphasizes the company's commitment to safety, planning comprehensive genetic testing to ensure the process creates no harmful mutations. Their high success rate across dozens of tissue samples suggests the approach is both reliable and repeatable.

For men who thought biological fatherhood was impossible, this breakthrough transforms despair into genuine hope.