Bone Marrow Babies Advancements Try to Recreate Male Sperm

A recent study shows the possibility of making a baby completely artificially by using stem cells located in bone marrow and turning it into immature sperm. These treatments are not only a way to cells or tissues in the body). In this case, [bone marrow] cells are put in a location so that they are automatically turned into endometrial cells,” reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist and board certified obstetrician gynecologist Dr. Armando Hernandez-Rey said. in which he removed a small disk of tissue from his shoulder, and then, after reprogramming, his skin cells transformed into stem cells. Scientists tested this with mice by transplanting the stem cells into the testicles of a mouse, and they discovered that they were able to turn the stem cells into functional gametes. This is significant now that more recent trends have shown couples beginning to have children later on, when it is much more difficult to conceive. If this practice advances further, it could mean struggling couples or individuals could reprogram existing cells to transform into the sperm or egg cells they need.

The mice model uses mice with the Hoxa11 gene defect, meaning that they are unable to carry a pregnancy or have defective endometrial development, and therefore are unable to conceive. This gene is only found in multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow and uterine decidual stromal cells. After the mice received bone marrow transplants, they were able to conceive with a normal endometrial lining and carry their pregnancy to term, according to News-Medical.

Other treatments to solve infertility, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), are not an option for everyone attempting to have a biological baby. IVF may not be effective for a woman who has received cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation, or a man with testicular cancer. In this case, bone marrow treatment opens up new opportunities for a couple to reproduce biologically.

“By [age] 35, fertility decreases tremendously. Since women are having kids later on, they’re experiencing more issues getting pregnant,” Miami Palmetto Senior High biology teacher Nicole Swanson said. “[Bone marrow stem cells are able to heal the body] because these stem cells are undifferentiated cells;therefore, you are able to use your own stem cells to perform another cell’s function that may not be able to.” have a baby without sperm from an actual male, but may also be a solution to infertility. This treatment will appeal to lesbian couples trying to have a fully biological baby. Simply put, the treatment focuses on growing fully synthetic embryos without actual sperm made entirely of stem cells in a petri dish. Yale University researchers reported that stem cells exit the bone marrow and travel to the uterus through the bloodstream to transform the uterine lining for implantation. A damaged inner lining of the uterus, or the endometrium, often results in infertility or a miscarriage. The experiments were conducted on mice who struggled with a damaged endometrium, and scientists had successful results.

“Bone marrow cells are called pluripotent cells, (which is a cell that is able to develop into many different types of

“[Therapies, such as chemotherapy or radiation,] Often, render somebody infertile because they destroy the cells that are there for reproduction: the egg and the sperm. If we can make an egg or sperm in the laboratory that originates from a stem cell, then that means we are using cells that belong to the patient, as opposed to a donor sperm or egg that is not biologically theirs,” Dr. Hernandez-Rey said. “If a patient who [has] had Leukemia since they were younger wants to use stem cell therapy, we will get some cells from their bone marrow, and then put them through an electric field and then after programming we are able to differentiate that cell into an egg or sperm.”

After scientists’ experiments with many solutions to infertility, such as pills, vitamins and major surgeries, many people are still unable to reproduce. In 2012, a technician at Stanford University performed a biopsy,

With this advancement, and as research on this subject progresses, studies about using stem cells in various ways are on the rise.

“Stem cells are useful for more things than we ever realized before, but using stem cells is able to help people generate different organs and tissues. This is taking stem cells from the bone marrow to help the uterus, and there is no donor involved, meaning this is autologous. That means there is no risk of getting a reaction or a rejection from the donor. So, if this were to become a solution to infertility, I would not see that being risky or bad or challenging, and not too big of a deal,” hematologist and oncologist Dr. Steve Fein said.

Alexis James Staff writer a.james.thepanther@gmail.com

DESIGN BY LUNA GARCIA

Hip-Hop’s story began 50 years ago in the Bronx, New York, where the first hip-hop beat was created at a dance party. Driven by turmoil, love, admiration and passion, hip-hop’s roots flourished beyond what the vinyl spinning DJs of the 70s would have expected.

In 1973, Clive Cambell, also known as DJ Kool Herc, was the first person on record to extend the drum loop of a song during a house party.

The drum loop in hip-hop gave birth to the genre.. Drum breaks and the beginning of DJing began in disenfranchised neighborhoods, typically populated with African American and Hispanic residents. The drum loop began a new culture and a way to interpret the old into the new, known as sampling.

Sampling is a technique commonly used by hip-hop producers, which allows for the producer to select parts of an old song and interject it into a new track. “Chopping,” or “slicing,” is the act of splitting up parts of a song and “flipping” is the rearrangement of parts. Soul, funk, disco, jazz and other genres of music are commonly sampled to search for different parts, but the drum loop was originally the coveted aspect of any track. Producers such as Madlib, The Alchemist, and most notably, J-Dilla became Maestros of sampling. Other musical figures, such as James Brown, such as James Brown, accidentally helped create the framework for hip-hop through their influences on rhythm and drum loops.

Kool Herc’s technique would eventually be called “Breakbeats.” In 1982, “The Message” , by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, became one of the first commercial rap songs, making rap mainstream. Three years before it, Sugarhill Gang created “Rapper’s Delight,” which was credited as rap’s first smash hit.

In the 1980s, the crack epidemic raged through America, disproportionately affecting African American neighborhoods in places such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. As a result, artists began speaking about their experiences, altering the subject matter within their music and continuing hip-hop as a vessel of expression as a reaction to the hardship.

With the start of the record label Def Jam in 1993, a monumental part of hip-hop history began, as the label signed LL Cool J and the Beastie Boysand saw the growth of acts such as Rakim and Slick Rick.

A core aspect of hip-hop in the 1990s was the movement of G-Funk, pioneered by West Coast rappers and MCs [master of ceremonies] such as Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. G-Funk’s sounds of bouncing drums, obscure guitars, bass, samples and loops highlighted the nature of regional hip-hop sounds.

Hip-hop in the pre-internet age was regional, and often highlighted where each rapper and producer originated. The East Coast with Jay-Z, Nas, Just Blaze, Diddy, Notorious B.I.G, and many, many more utilized different themes and sounds than that of acts in the West Coast and in the South.

The West Coast on the other hand, with the growth of Death Row records and acts such as Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, Eazy-E and many others touched on topics unique to them and their region. But, the story of hip-hop is not mutually exclusive to each MC and act;many aspects of the lives of each rapper would cross paths.

Whether artistically or thematically, the lives of rappers were not as different as arguments and disagreements would make them seem. A lot of rappers had similar childhoods with many sharing stories surrounding abuse, violence and drug addiction within their tracks. Their shared experiences contributed to an eventual interconnected community no matter the region each rapper lived.

Hip-hop is the flower that bloomed from the concrete of the tumultuous lives of disenfranchised neighborhoods. It allowed for voices in communities usually left unheard to be at the forefront of mainstream culture.

Hip-Hop will not stop innovating at the 50 year mark but continue to grow and affect every corner of the globe.

Michael Angee Life Editor m.angee.thepanther@gmail.com

Maddie Volpe Multimedia Video Editor m.volpe.thepanther@gmail.com

DESIGN

BY IVY LAGARTO