British scientists have been granted permission to investigate whether stem cells found deep inside testicles can be used to repair damaged tissues and organs.

Researchers led by fertility specialist Robert Winston at the Hammersmith hospital in London will pluck cells from testicular tissue to see if they are as versatile as embryonic stem cells, which can potentially grow into any tissue in the body.

The scientists believe 0.3% of tissue in the testes is made up of stem cells, one of the highest counts in the body. “We’ve been tinkering with the testes for a year or two now, but what we don’t know yet is how reliably we can get stem cells from them,” said Lord Winston.

Harry Moore, professor of reproductive biology at Sheffield University, welcomed the study. “In this country, the ethical issues of obtaining stem cells from cloned embryos are covered…but there is still the major problem of where do you get eggs that are high enough quality and in sufficient quantity. The advantage of this work is that it avoids both of those issues,” he said.

“It might not sound very appealing to men, but it isn’t actually as traumatic as it sounds.”

Professor Chris Barratt, scientific director of the Assisted Conception Unit at the Birmingham women’s hospital, said: “There are a lot of testicles around and you don’t need a staggering number to have enough variety to match nearly all of the population.”

It will be interesting to see how many folks will reflect on this as a scientific advance — and how many wince and go “ooh, ooh, ooh”?