Sperm is amazing stuff. It’s one half of the recipe to create new life. And now, it may play a major role in preserving lives that already exist. This past week, German researchers reported that sperm may hold the answer to delivering cancer-fighting treatment to tumors in a woman’s reproductive tract. Impressive!
Husband and Wife Discover They’re Twins! Before delving into the details of these superhero sperm, I want to flag some fake news for your benefit. This weekend, I read this article about a couple that underwent DNA testing for fertility purposes, only to have their doctor inform them that they were, to their complete shock, fraternal twins! What?! That’s crazy. And… apparently untrue. The cancer-treating sperm story shocks me in a similar way, but I can’t find anything proving it’s false. Yet. So here’s to hoping I am not spreading fake news.
Helmet-Wearing Sperm. Here is how it is supposed to work. Scientists and doctors have long searched for an effective way to treat tumors in patients. One persistent problem is the inability of chemicals or other treatments to penetrate the walls of a tumor. But sperm may be a natural delivery system that, with the ability to burrow through an egg’s tough outer layer, and with some guidance, might be able to break through the wall of a tumor with treatment in tow.
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In order to steer the sperm, the researchers explain how they designed “helmets.” (The article even features diagrams of such helmets! They are not quite as stylish as one might hope, but I am sure the science — and fashion — will continue to evolve.) The helmets have tiny magnets that allow a doctor to direct the sperm to a tumor and a release mechanism to uncouple the helmet and sperm at the appropriate time.
Remedial Sex Education. The article reports, “While it is known that sperm cells will swim around in the vagina searching for an egg to fertilize, and in some cases, have been known to swim up and fertilize eggs still in the fallopian tube, the randomness of their behavior was deemed too untenable for drug delivery…”
Uh, I’m no doctor, but I am pretty sure that is not accurate. There is no egg fertilization going on in the vagina. In fact, it isn’t that sperm “in some cases, have been known to” swim up into the fallopian tubes. That is, like, how it works. That is how all of us (except those starting through IVF) came to be. WebMD confirms my fifth-grade, sex-ed knowledge that fertilization (formation of an embryo) takes place in the fallopian tubes, and then the resultant embryo travels to the uterus for implantation (the pregnancy). That’s why I’m a Juris Doctor.
To be generous, we will just assume this sentence was a poor translation or loose use of language, and enjoy the impromptu sex ed lesson.
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Legal Disaster Pending? Of course, one concern of the researchers is that an unintended pregnancy could result from this form of cancer treatment. And whose sperm are we employing? If the patient has a male partner, it seems the safest course would be for the doctor/tailor to fit her partner’s sperm for helmets. But if it is not her partner’s sperm, an accidental pregnancy could be wrought with legal questions concerning the continuation of the pregnancy, legal parentage, child support, and, of course, liability.
Moreover, sperm is not only good at carrying good stuff (like life-forming chromosomes and medicine), but it is also notorious for carrying diseases. Of course, any potential carrier sperm would need to be thoroughly screened. But there is always the possibility of error in screening or new diseases being transmitted that were not included in the screen.
If the researchers’ science is sound and advances as hope, then the legal obstacles should be quickly outweighed by the amazing result of an effective cancer treatment. Here’s hoping for continued progress, with little extra attorney work. At least in this field. And let’s hope this isn’t fake news.
Ellen Trachman is the Managing Attorney of Trachman Law Center, LLC, a Denver-based law firm specializing in assisted reproductive technology law, adoption, and estate planning, and Co-Director of Colorado Surrogacy, LLC, a surrogacy matching and support agency. You can reach her at [email protected].