In a recent study researchers used mice that had become obese and had developed type 2 diabetes due to a high-fat diet and then obtained their offspring solely through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) from isolated oocytes and sperm so that changes in the offspring could only be passed on via these cells. The offspring were carried and born by healthy surrogate mothers. This enabled the researchers from the Institute of Experimental Genetics to rule out additional factors such as the behavior of the parents and influences of the mother during pregnancy and lactation. The director of the study Prof. Johannes
