Scientists in the United States have, for the first time, created early-stage human embryos using DNA taken from skin cells and then fertilising them with sperm. The Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) team behind the experiment says the advance could eventually help millions of people facing infertility, though the technique remains far from ready for clinical use.

Researchers removed the nucleus from a skin cell and placed it inside a donor egg that had been stripped of its own DNA. They then induced a process known as “mitomeiosis,” which prompts the egg to discard half its chromosomes and mimic the state of a natural egg ready for fertilisation. The study, published in Nature Communications, reported 82 functional eggs, some of which developed into embryos that survived for six days.

“We achieved something that was thought to be impossible,” said Professor Shoukhrat Mitalipov, who led the study. He added: “We have to perfect it. Eventually, I think that’s where the future will go because there are more and more patients that cannot have children.”

Experts caution that the science is still experimental, with a low success rate and risks of chromosomal errors. Professor Roger Sturmey of the University of Hull noted that: “breakthroughs such as this impress upon us the need for robust governance, to ensure accountability and build public trust.”

The research is seen as a step towards rewriting reproductive possibilities, though widespread clinical application could still be a decade away.