The ABCs of Biotech for Christians - Eighth in a series - G is for Gamete

Maybe some readers will recall the junior high science class where they learned about human reproduction — and were embarrassed. Gametes are the reproductive cells…

They are also referred to as sex cells. Female gametes are called ova or egg cells, and male gametes are called sperm. Gametes are haploid cells, and each cell carries only one copy of each chromosome. These reproductive cells are produced through a type of cell division called meiosis. During meiosis, a diploid parent cell, which has two copies of each chromosome, undergoes one round of DNA replication followed by two separate cycles of nuclear division to produce four haploid cells. These cells develop into sperm or ova. The ova mature in the ovaries of females, and the sperm develop in the testes of males. Each sperm cell, or spermatozoon, is small and motile. The spermatozoon has a flagellum, which is a tail-shaped structure that allows the cell to propel and move. In contrast, each egg cell, or ovum, is relatively large and non-motile. During fertilization, a spermatozoon and ovum unite to form a new diploid organism. (ref)

A graphic depiction of the process in which gametes are produced is shown here. The way a human is conceived is a marvel— one now being explored for manufacture in a petri dish: A new biotechnology procedure called in vitro gametogenesis or IVG has been practiced in mice.

IVG could become a novel way to have babies by turning any cell in our bodies into sperm or egg cells (5 Things to know about IVG) “Existing assisted-reproduction technologies such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and mitochondrial replacement therapy still require gametes – the sperm and the egg – that come from a man and a woman. But that’s not the case for IVG.”

In IVG, an adult human cell that may come from the skin on ones arm or from inside a cheek could be converted into artificial gametes, and then combined to create an embryo that would be implanted to grow to maturity. This technique would be helpful to those who are infertile or who desire to become parents though in a same-sex relationship, etc.

There is a lot to learn about IVG, and to ponder—before it becomes the new IVF. In this video a woman who was conceived through anonymous sperm donation and IVF, speaks out against it. “I don’t want my children to be targeted for their gametes. This social experiment has taken place around the world… You are right Malta to take a stand!” - Dr. Joanna Rose

The video captured my heart because of the earnest people of Malta who turned out in large numbers to rally against a proposed IVF law that would legalize embryo freezing, gamete donation and non-commercial surrogacy. (ref). Malta is an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, believed to be the “Melita” where Paul was shipwrecked en route to Rome. (Acts 28:1)

The vote took place just last week. Did Malta’s Parliament reject or accept the amendments to the Embryo Protection Act? We will address that in the next post, H is for Haploid, as the Gametogenesis topic continues.