New research shows it may be possible to take stem cells from men’s skin and turn them into viable sperm.

In a new attempt at treating azoospermia – an inability for males to produce viable sperm due to genetic factors – researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine took stem cells that were harvested from three azoospermia mice, then injected them into the reproductive system of healthy mice. The researchers discovered that the cells began to change into precursor cells that typically turn into healthy sperm.

Approximately 10 to 15 percent of couples suffer from infertility. Surprisingly, genetic causes of infertility are quite frequent in men, generally as a result of spontaneous loss of critical genes on the Y sex chromosome. However, what causes this loss at a molecular level has not been fully understood up to this point.

The primary goal of senior study author Renee Reijo Pera of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine and her colleagues was to understand the decision in early development that allows production of sperm cell precursors, and inevitably sperm. One method of doing so is to analyze cells without the genes necessary for the production of sperm.

“Our studies suggest that the use of stem cells can serve as a starting material for diagnosing germ cell defects and potentially generating germ cells. This approach has great potential for treatment of individuals who have genetic/idiopathic causes for sperm loss or for cancer survivors who have lost sperm production due to gonadotoxic treatments,” said Reijo Pera in a statement.

The findings of the study are published in the online edition of Cell Reports.