Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'It could be of huge benefit to children having cancer treatment'

Human eggs have been grown in the laboratory for the first time, say researchers at the University of Edinburgh. The scientists at the University of Edinburgh said on Friday they had cultured egg cells, after their removal from ovarian tissue at the earliest stage of development, “to the point at which they are ready to be fertilised.”

“The advance could safeguard the fertility of girls with cancer ahead of potentially harmful medical treatment, such as chemotherapy,'' they said, following a joint study with other experts published in the academic journal Molecular Human Reproduction. “However, this is an important breakthrough, which could offer hope to women with infertility in the future.”

The latest study, published in Molecular Human Reproduction, is the first time a human egg has been developed in the lab from its earliest stage to full maturity. "Being able to fully develop human eggs in the lab could widen the scope of available fertility treatments," said lead researcher Professor Evelyn Telfer, of the University of Edinburgh's school of biological sciences. “We also hope to find out, subject to regulatory approval, whether they can be fertilised.”

Scientists developed substances in which eggs could be grown, known as culture mediums, to support each stage of cell development.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh claim they have successfully brought prepubescent-sourced, immature human egg cells to maturity in a laboratory for the first time. The work may be significant because it may allow the harvesting and preservation of eggs from young girls undergoing toxic cancer treatment before their lifetime reservoirs of those cells are destroyed.