French Scientists Creates First Laboratory Human Sperm Cells on HWN RESEARCH

French scientists say they have succeeded in creating the world's first lab-grown human sperm cells in what experts said Friday could be a leap forward in tackling male sterility.

The Kallistem laboratory in the eastern French city of Lyon this week announced they had obtained "complete human spermatozoa in vitro", a world first which scientists have laboured towards for some 15 years.

At the end of 2014 the company was able to produce fully formed human spermatozoa in the laboratory setting, using patient testicular biopsies containing only immature germ cells, or spermatogonia," the company said in a statement.

This research paves the way for innovative therapies to preserve and restore male fertility, a major issue with global impact; numbers of spermatozoa have declined by 50 percent over the last fifty years.