In vitro gametogenesis in the ongoing quest to vanquish infertility: the role of epigenetics

Human conception resulting in a live birth is an inefficient process that has instigated a variety of assisted technologies, and recent experimental work in the mouse model appears to open up new possibilities for the future treatment of human infertility. Investigators are now capable of developing eggs and sperm in vitro, so-called in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) (1), derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Each step of the IVG process in the mouse iPSCs is selected for; the resulting oocytes display high fertilizability, and the embryos are capable of implantation and result in live births.