Gamete biology : emerging frontiers on fertility and contraceptive development

In recent years, an impressive progress has been made in our understanding of the developmental processes involved in the formation of the spermatozoa and egg in various species. Interestingly, using stem cell biology, researchers have created both male and female gametes from totipotent cells. Further, progress has been made in our understanding of cellular and molecular basis of the sperm-egg interaction leading to fertilization.