US Research Team Develops Sperm Gender Selection Modification Technology
Embryos of Desired Gender by Couples Implanted into Uterus
Ethical Controversy Inevitable Over Artificial Gender Selection
A U.S. research team has succeeded in selecting sperm gender with about 80% accuracy for artificial insemination.
On the 22nd (local time), British Sky News reported that this study has sparked ethical debates surrounding 'offspring gender selection.'
The team led by Professor Gianpiero Palermo at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York announced in the scientific journal PLOS ONE that they succeeded in obtaining embryos of the desired gender with 80% accuracy using a technology that selects sperm gender for artificial insemination.
They utilized the slight difference in weight between sperm carrying male (Y) and female (X) chromosomes to sort sperm by gender, then performed artificial insemination with Y chromosome sperm for couples wanting sons and X chromosome sperm for couples wanting daughters.
As a result, among 59 couples wanting daughters, 231 out of 292 artificial inseminations (79.1%) resulted in female embryos, and among 56 couples wanting sons, 223 out of 280 artificial inseminations (79.6%) resulted in male embryos.
The research team also reported that these couples successfully implanted embryos of the desired gender, resulting in the healthy birth of 16 daughters and 13 sons. Professor Palermo stated, "This technology is efficient, affordable, very safe, and ethically acceptable."
However, since selecting embryo gender based on parental preference without valid reasons is illegal in many countries, controversy is expected.
Experts also point out that while this study is clearly a technical achievement, ethical debates are inevitable due to the ability to artificially select offspring gender.
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