Universities, Governments and Corporations
Supporting Same Sex Procreation

A variety of government agencies, universities, private corporations and non-profit foundations are funding and/or conducting research that directly or indirectly supports progress in the science and technology of female sperm. Such researchers are truly helping to honor your mother and mother. Or father and father.

How to help? Writing letters of support to the government and universities, or investing in the private companies or non-profit foundations, is one way to show your support for this research. Or form your own company - the businesses of samesex procreation and human reengineering are just beginning, with plenty of opportunities for all.

Direct Scientific Support for Same Sex Procreation           Related Scientific Support for Same Sex Procreation

Sperm/Egg Researchers/Companies

Harvard University
At the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, one researcher, Prof. George Daley studies how to convert general stem cells into sperm.

Univ. of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, is home to two groups of scientists doing research useful for creating male sperm. One group, led by Ralph Brinster is researching how to fix and enhance male sperm. Another group, led by Marisa Bartolomei, are researching the imprinting of germ and stem cells.

Univ. of Tennessee
Prof. Antonin Bukovsky of the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, is studying the science and applications of female diploid germ cells, which eliminates the need of using embryonic stem cells to make female sperm.

Washington State University
Washington State University's Center for Reproductive Biology has a research program in Testis Biology and Male Fertility. Prof. Michael Griswold leads an effort to study Sertoli cells and spermatogenesis via germ cell/spermatogonial transplantation.

Artificial Chromosomes Researchers/Companies

Chromos Inc.
British Columbia based Chromos Inc develops and sells mammalian artificial chromosomes and related applications. Their chromosome product line is called the ACE System.

Duke University
Prof. Willard Huntington of the Duke University Medical Center is researching the development of artificial human chromosomes. A picture of one of their artificial human chromosomes.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor David Page leads a group of biologists at MIT's Whitehead Institute who are determining the structure and applications of Y chromosomes genes. His efforts are partially funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

National Institute of Medical Research - UK
Prof. Paul Burgoyne, in the NIMR Genetics and Development group, heads the Developmental Genetics division, which studies the Y chromosome.

Stem Cell Researchers/Companies

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
In 2005, California residents voted to spend $6 billion dollars to back a $3 billion dollar bond to fund stem cell research in the state. Managing the money is the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Harvard University
In 2004, Harvard established the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, headed by biology professor Douglas Melton of Harvard's Molecular Cell Biology lab. A quote from Melton in the 12 March 2003 Science: "Look, life is short. I don't want to spend the rest of mine reading about exciting advances in my field that can only be achieved in another country."

John Hopkins University
John Hopkins's Institute for Cell Engineering was launched with a $58 million gift from an anonymous donor. Prof. John Gearhart heads up the Stem Cell Biology research program focusing on embryonic germ cells, which were first isolated in Gearhart's lab.

New York Stem Cell Foundation
The New York Stem Cell Foundation, NYSCF, is a non-profit organization raising private monies to fund stem cell research in the State of New York.

Tulane University Health Sciences Center
Tulane University's Health Sciences Center, in particular their Center for Gene Therapy, sells human, rat and mouse bone marrow stem cells for academic research use, under funding from an NIH grant. Other laboratories are exploring ways of converting bone marrow stem cells to sperm.

Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison
The University of Wisconsin has a Stem Cell Research Program. Affiliated with this research program is a university spin-off non-profit organization, WiCell Research Institute.

Yale University Stem Cell Center
Yale Stem Cell Center - focuses on stem cell renewal and differentiation.

Advanced Cell Technology
Advanced Cell Technology researches and develops techniques for cloning and embryonic stem cells. In January 2008, they announce a technique to safely extract one cell from an eight-cell embryo without harming the embryo.

Glycosan BioSystems
Glycosan BioSystems sells gells for growing embryonic stem cells and for tissue engineering.

Lifeline Cell Technology
Lifeline Cell Technology sells stem cells and stem cell products (endothelial/fibroblasts/neural stem cells and fibroblast feeder layers) and culture/growth media for in vitro culturing of stem cells.

Millipore
Millipore sells a variety of products for in vitro culturing of stem cells.

National Stem Cell Inc.
National Stem Cell makes therapies for using stem cells for diabetes and heart disease. They maintain a Cord Blood bank for allowing people to save umbilical cord blood stem cells.

R&D Systems
R&D Systems sells chemicals (growth factors, marker antibodies) and expansion/selection kits for in vitro culturing of stem cells.

Stemagen Corp
Stemagen Corporation in 2007 announced the creation of the first mature human embryos cloned from adult skin cells.

StemCell Technologies
StemCell Technologies sells products for feeder-independent growing of human embryonic stem cells.

Stem Cells Inc
Stem Cells Inc focuses on therapeutics of stem cells for the central nervous system, liver and pancreas.

StemLifeLine Inc.
StemLifeLine Inc provides a service where couples with frozen embryos they no longer wish to use can save the cells for future therapeutic uses by their families, instead of destroying the embryos.

XCell-Center
XCell-Center is affliated with the Institute of Regenerative Medicine in Cologne, Germany. They help patients treat degenerative and neurological diseases with adult stem cells. They were the first private clinic in Europe to be accredited for these types of stem cell therapy.

Imprinting/Epigenetics Researchers

Epigenome Network of Excellence
The Epigenome Network of Excellence is a new European Union research initiative to study the epigenome, including effects such as X inactivation, imprinting, plasticity of stem cells, gene silencing and chromosome dosage compensation. The network is a coordination of 25 research groups across Europe.

Hospital for Sick Kids
Imprinting and Epigenetics Group at the Hospital for Sick Kids affliated with the University of Toronto.

CellCentric Corp.
CellCentric Corp. - a group of UK based researchers in epigenetics.

Sigma-Aldrich
Sigma-Aldrich - offers a wide portfolio of products to support epigenetics research.

Government Agencies

The three main US government agencies supporting female sperm research are the National Institutes of Health (which funds most of the public medical research in this country), the Department of Energy (which is overseeing much of the research in the Human Genome Project), and the Department of Defense (which funds research into almost anything that could help better defend the country, such as biochips).

AMERICAN

In 2001, the FDA issued a letter on gene transfer on human eggs and sperm.

NON-AMERICAN

Since 2002, Canada has been debating an assisted human reproduction law, An Act Respecting Assisted Human Reproduction.

In 2002, the UK House of Lords issued a Select Committee report on Stem Cell Research.

University Research Centers

Andalusian Stem Cell Bank
The Regional Government of Andalusia in January 2004 announced plans to spend 5 million Euros to study stem cell therapies, including a stem cell bank, initially at the Fundacion Progreso y Salud, and then at the Health Sciences Campus of Granada. See also Spanish Stem Cell Battle from the 27 October 2003 issue of The Scientist.

Univ. of Arizona
The Biosciences Department at the University of Arizona sponsors the Y Chromosome Consortium that studies genetic variation on the Y chromosome. The site includes a link the Human Genome Project's Web page with genetic data for the Y chromosome.

Baylor University
Baylor University's Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (STAR) studies the clinical uses of stem cell therapies, including with embryonic stem cells.

Brussel Free University (Vrije Universiteit Brussel
VUB's Centre for Reproductive Medicine studies in vitro cultivation of ovarian follicles and assisted fertilization.

Univ. of California - Los Angeles
Prof. York Marahrens studies X chromosome inactivation.

Univ. of California - San Francisco
One research group at UCSF distributes human embryonic stem cells. Intel founder and Chairman Andy Grove has donated $5 million to UCSF to fund this work. The UCSF Center for Reproductive Health offers a variety of fertility services including ICSI, IVF, IUI and PGD.

Univ. of Cambridge
Prof. Anne McLaren, one of the world's leading experts on sperm and eggs, heads a research group studying primordial and embryonic germ cells. In 1981, she raised the possibility of female sperm. Prof. Azim Surani, another expert, heads a research group studing germ cells and imprinting.

Cornell University
Cornell Medical School's Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility performs research on IVF and ICSI to help treat azoospermia. The medical school's Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery studies a variety of medical infertility treatments.

Univ. of Freiburg
Dr. Gerd Scherer leads a group studying the Y chromosome's sex determining SRY gene.

Univ. of Geneva
Prof. Jean-Dominique Vassalli studies primordial germ cell development.

Univ. of Hawaii
In 1999, the university's Medical School established an Institute for Biogenesis Research in the School's Department of Anatomy & Reproductive Biology. The Institute studies germ cell research, cloning and transgenesis.

Imperial College - UK
Imperial College's Hammersmith Medical School's Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology studies embryonic stem cells.

Kyoto University
Kyoto University's Institute for Frontier Medical Science has a Stem Cell Research Center which is producing embryonic stem cells and engineering functional tissues from stem cells. This work is done with the Institute's Department of Development and Differentiation.

Massachusetts General Hospital
MGH has a Center for Reproductive Biology. Amongst other things, the Center studies female germ cells, in an effort lead by Prof. Jonathan Tilly. MGH also offers IVF services.

Michigan State University
Research into cloning and stem cells is done at the university's Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory

Monash University
Monash University's Institute for Reproduction and Development is conducting a variety of research projects involving embryonic stem cells, oocytes, cloning, sperm and haploidization. Prof. Orly Lacham-Kaplan is studying how to fertilize eggs using non-sperm cells.

Univ. of Munich
Prof. Dirk Schindelhauer studies mammalian artificial chromosomes.

Oxford University
Prof. Zoia Larin, at Oxford's Institute of Molecular Medicine, studies human artificial chromosomes and gene therapy.

Univ. of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield hosts the Centre for Stem Cell Biology where they study human embryonic stem cells.

Scripps Institute
One research group at the Scripps Research Institute is studying how to reverse adult committed cells into stem cells.

Seoul National University
In 2004, SNU's Research Institute of Veterinary Science published results showing the cloning of humans to the eight cell stage. SNU also has an Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics.

Stanford University
In 2002, Stanford University received $12 million to form a Cancer/Stem Cell Biology Institute. Stanford also has research programs in Gene Therapy, Developmental Biology, and Genomics.

Univ. of Ulm
The Max Planck Society is providing funding to the University of Ulm to establish the Stem Cell Biology and Tissue Regeneration research group.

Vanderbilt University
For many years, the medical school at Vanderbilt has had a Stem Cell Transplant program. In 2004, Vanderbilt established a Center for Stem Cell Biology, which will be studying directed differentiation of embryonic stem cells.

University of Washington
The University of Washington's Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine leverages the research of over 80 university laboratories to develop stem cell therapies for diverse diseases, including uses of germline stem cells.

Corporations

Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago
AFCC offers IVF and egg donations services.

Andrology Institute of America
The Andrology Institute of America helps treat male infertility.

Biogenesi - Italy
Biogenesi offers IVF, ICSI, egg donation, preimplantation diagnosis, and embyro and gamete cryopreservation services.

The Bridge Centre - UK
The Bridge Centre offers treatments for infertility, genetic screening and standard techniques such as IVF, ICSI, IUI, and PGD.

Center for Male Reproductive Medicine
CMRM is a group of doctors in Nevada and California offering male reproductive medicine services, including IVF, ICSA, and Sperm Aspiration.

Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility
Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility offers egg and sperm donor support services, and treatments for infertility. Affliated with the Cornell School of Medicine.

Centres for Assisted Reproduction (CARE) - UK
CARE offers IVF and egg donation services.

Centro de Estudios en Ginecologia y Reproduccion
The Centro de Estudios en Ginecologia y Reproduccion, affliated with the University of Buenos Aires, offers IVF, ICSI, egg donation, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis services.

Charles River Laboratories
Charles River Laboratories sells colonies of transgenic animals, especially mice, useful for doing in vivo experiments on human genes. Female sperm will first be tested out in mice.

Cooper Center for In-Vitro Fertilization
The Cooper Center offers in-vitro fertilization services.

Egg Freezing Center
The Egg Freezing Center is a Southern California-based clinic specializing in egg freezing services.

ES Cell International - Singapore
ES Cell International sells human embryonic stem cells and related products.

FertiPro NV - Belgium
FertiPro offers sperm analysis services.

Genetics & In-vitro Fertilization Institute
The Genetics & IVF Institute is one of the leading provider of artificial insemination services.

Georgia Reproductive Services
Georgia Reproductive Services helps treat male and female infertility.

Logan Centre - UK
The Logan Centre offers egg donation services.

Man Not Included
Man Not Included coordinates anonymous sperm donation for lesbians and single women.

Med-Direct - UK
Med-Direct's Web site for their products for home testing and treating of male fertility.

Nidacon International AB - Sweden
Nidacon offers sperm analysis and fertilization products.

Pacific Fertility Center - San Francisco
Pacific Fertility Center offers infertility diagnosis, ICSI and IVF services, including egg retrieval and embryo transfer. They all operate an egg donation service, offering women $5000 for their eggs.

Pacific Facility Center
The Pacific Fertility Center provides medical procedures to aid procreation, including pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, egg donation, and male infertility treatment.

Pacific Reproductive Services
The Pacific Reproductive Services provides medical procedures to aid procreation. They also operate a sperm bank.

Rainbow Flag Health Services
Rainbow Flag Health Services operates a sperm bank that is open to all: gay, bisexual or heterosexual males.

Reproductive Genetics Institute
The Reproductive Genetics Institute provides medical procedures to help (infertile) couples conceive, and to test the health of embryos.

Repromed Ltd.
Repromed provides technology services for reproductive medicine, including ICSI, IVF, sperm washing and sperm banking.

Serono Corporation
The Reproductive Health area of Serono develops recombinant products to help infertile couples. Its research group in the United States is studying embryonic stem cell and blastocyst production. It sponsors treament centers, Fertility LifeLines.

Shady Grove Fertility
Shady Grove Fertility offers fertility treatments including ICSI, IVF and blastocyst transfer.

Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine
Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine offers egg and sperm donor support services, and treatments for infertility.

Tecnicas en Reproduccion Asistida - Mexico
TRA offers IVF, ovary stimulation and GIFT services.

Tulane University
Tulane University School of Medicine's Center for Gene Therapy provides bone marrow stem cells to researchers. The cost is a handling charge of $250 for 5 vials of 1 million human stem cells per vial.

Vitrolife - Sweden
Vitrolife offers products for assisted reproduction including for sperm preparation and IVF.

Xytex
Xytex Corporation offers sperm donation products and services.

Non-Profit Foundations

American Fertility Association

American Infertility Organization

American Society for Reproductive Medicine

Association for Reproductive Health Professionals

Californians for Cures is an advocacy group in California championing a voter state initiative for the State of California to raise $3 billion to fund stem cell research.

Center for Reproductive Rights - promotes and defends women's reproductive rights worldwide.

Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research - group of corporations and universities promoting cloning and stem cell research.

Comment on Reproductive Ethics - UK ethics group advocating alternatives to stem cells, such as umbilical cord blood.

European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies

International Center for Research on Women - Washington, DC based group fighting for equal rights for women around the world.

International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination

International Stem Cell Research Organization

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - JDRF is spending $8 million to develop embryonic stem cell lines, and is funding some of the work at Harvard's Stem Cell Institute.

National Council for Research on Women

Reproductive Health Technologies Project

Resolve: the National Infertility Association

Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology

Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality

Society for Women's Health Research

Stem Cell Research Foundation

Student Society for Stem Cell Research

World Association for Reproductive Medicine

47,XXY - information Web site.

Other Interesting Reproduction-Related Web Sites

Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere - international support group.

Equal Marriage for Same Sex Couples - Canadian organization Intersex Society of North America.

Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Group of Australia - intersex support group.

Lesbian News - Web site for their monthly magazine

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Daily Reproduction Health Report - from the Henry Kaiser Family Foundation

Tutorials on Infertility.

e-testicles - information Web site.

Icelandic Phallogical Musuem - Iceland's penis musuem.

Understanding Evolution - overview for teachers and students from the University of California Museum of Paleontology.