BABIES made without sperm or eggs may become a reality within a year after a major breakthrough.

Scientists have created the world's first artificial embryo – using two types of mice stem cells.

3 Babies created without sperm or eggs could be a reality after scientists grew artificial mouse embryos from stem cells Credit: Alamy

Now experts say the same technique could be used to produce human embryo.

The breakthrough – at the University of Cambridge – could boost research into the causes of infertility and miscarriage.

The technique allows boffins to create an unlimited supply of embryos for lab research.

They currently have to develop human embryos from eggs donated through IVF clinics – and these are in short supply.

Study leader Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz said: “We are very optimistic that this will allow us to study key events of this critical stage of human development without actually having to work on [standard] embryos.

“Knowing how development normally occurs will allow us to understand why it so often goes wrong.”

We are very optimistic that this will allow us to study key events of this critical stage of human development... Knowing how development normally occurs will allow us to understand why it so often goes wrong Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz

The failure of an embryo to implant itself into the uterus is a major cause of early pregnancy loss but the changes that take place in the human embryo at this stage remain unknown.

Once a mammalian egg has been fertilised by a sperm, it divides multiple times to generate a small, free-floating ball of stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells develop into the different types of cell that make up the human body, such as the heart, skin and liver.

3 Experts say a similar human embryo could follow within a year, helping scientists investigate infertility and miscarriage Credit: Getty Images

The “extra-embryonic trophoblast” stem cells form the placenta and “primitive endoderm” stem cells form the yolk sac.

The mice embryos were made using a form of tiny scaffolding and two of these types of stem cell – the embryonic and extra-embryonic cells.

Previous attempts with just embryonic cells failed.

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Researchers say the embryos are unlikely to develop further into a healthy foetus because it would need the final, third, type of stem cell.

Dr Dusko Illic, from King’s College London, described the work as a “masterpiece” and a “beautifully conceived and executed study”.

He predicted an artificial human embryo could follow “within a year”.

Some people may find research on synthetic embryos more ethical than “standard” embryos, he added.

Dr Andrew Chisholm, from research charity the Wellcome Trust, said: “This is an elegant study creating a mouse embryo in culture that gives us a glimpse into the very earliest stages of mammalian development.

“Professor Zernicka-Goetz’s work really shows the importance of basic research in helping us to solve difficult problems for which we don’t have enough evidence for yet.

3 Pro-life campaigner Josephine Quintavalle outside the High Court in previous anti-stem cell litigation Credit: Photonews Service

“In theory, similar approaches could one day be used to explore early human development, shedding light on the role of the maternal environment in birth defects and health.”

Professor James Adjaye, chairman of Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, said the study “clearly paves the way” for deriving artificial human embryos.

Josephine Quintavalle, from Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: “This is distorting nature.

“We should not be experimenting on human embryos and I would not want to see this study extended into humans.”

The findings are published in the journal Science.

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