On the topic of SuperSOX and how it relates to making eggs from stem cells:
The requirement for an existing embryo (to transfer the edited stem cells into) means that having an abundant source of eggs is important for this method, both for optimizing the method by screening many conditions, and for eventual use in the clinic.
So, in vitro oogenesis could play a key role here.
For both technologies, I think the main bottleneck right now is nonhuman primate facilities for testing.
Finally: we need to be sure not to cause another He Jiankui event (where an irresponsible study resulted in a crackdown on the field). Epigenetic issues could cause birth defects, and if this happens, it will set back the field by quite a lot. So safety is important! Nobody cares if their baby has the genes for 200 IQ, if the baby also has Prader-Willi syndrome.
On the topic of SuperSOX and how it relates to making eggs from stem cells:
The requirement for an existing embryo (to transfer the edited stem cells into) means that having an abundant source of eggs is important for this method, both for optimizing the method by screening many conditions, and for eventual use in the clinic.
So, in vitro oogenesis could play a key role here.
For both technologies, I think the main bottleneck right now is nonhuman primate facilities for testing.
Finally: we need to be sure not to cause another He Jiankui event (where an irresponsible study resulted in a crackdown on the field). Epigenetic issues could cause birth defects, and if this happens, it will set back the field by quite a lot. So safety is important! Nobody cares if their baby has the genes for 200 IQ, if the baby also has Prader-Willi syndrome.