chemotherapy in young may cause damage to the testicles and a subsequent paternity impossible. Because until puberty, you have not yet formed sperm, which can be taken prior to treatment and kept. But that could change. For the first time, researchers have taken young male Primate testicular tissue, it is frozen and the same rhesus monkeys after puberty re-implanted. After that, the sperm that led to the birth of a healthy monkey babies were created in the tissue. The study was a proof-of-concept, the researchers write in order to Adetunji Fayomi from the University hospital of Pittsburgh in the journal “Science”. Also, independent experts will evaluate the work as a milestone.
Immature sperm
part of the treatment of cancer and many diseases of the blood and immune system such as sickle-cell anemia are often chemotherapy and radiation. That can cause damage in male patients, sperm cells or their precursors so strong that the Affected individuals are infertile. Adult men can have sperm prior to treatment, remove, freeze, and later in the laboratory the offspring. However, before puberty, and the increased formation of sexual hormone, testosterone, sperm are not yet Mature. Solely because of cancer around 1000 young to get in Germany per year of such therapy.
in General, more than 80 percent of the children survived nowadays, a cancer, about a third of them stay but infertile, the researchers write in order to Fayomi. You now show for the first time on primates in a way that could allow these patients later offspring.
A monkey baby named Grady
The researchers took five young rhesus monkey immature testicular tissue, which they froze and the animals after the onset of puberty re-planted. In fact, developed to sperm in all implants progenitor cells. Thus, the scientists fertilized a total of 138 eggs, of which 39 were developed to Two-cell stage. Finally, a total of eleven embryos were used, six female rhesus monkeys.
It was a pregnancy successfully. “Grady was on 16. April 2018 with a weight of 471 grams born,” writes the Team. “Grady’s birth is a proof of concept that we can only fours präpubertäres testicular tissue cryopreservation and later use for adult fertility”, is the first cited author Fayomi, in a communication to his clinic.
As the reason for the success of the researchers call in addition to Details of the freezing and especially the fact that they had taken in contrast to the previous attempts of much larger pieces of tissue – 9 to 20 cubic mm instead of 0.5 to 1 cubic millimeter, and then re – implanted and sutured. However, all of the rhesus monkeys were castrated. Now you need to validate that the technology works in primates with intact testes, the researchers write.
Reproductive medicine: procedures on humans
study leader Kyle Orwig, adds: “With the birth of healthy babies, we believe that this technology can now be clinically tested.” This evaluation Stefan Schlatt and Nina Neuhaus from the centre for reproductive medicine and andrology of the University hospital Münster who were not involved in the work to confirm. You write in a “Science”-comment from a breakthrough. Basically, the process is transferable to humans.
Artur Mayerhofer from the Biomedical Centrum of Munich (BMC) of the University of Munich believes that a similar transplant in humans “seems to be back now in reach”. However, the need to clarify, among other things, whether the procedure for the offspring to be safe. This will take years.
However, the procedure does not potential for all cancer patients, stress Fayomi and colleagues. In the case of a boy with leukemia, lymphoma and testicular cancer, the risk that the removed tissue containing malignant cells.
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In Europe to offer multiple Cryobank, the storage of sperm or testicular tissue, among other things, the project “Andro protect” the University hospital of Münster. Still you can. with the help of the frozen immature testicular no children’s fabric witnesses, but this could change with the presented findings (dpa)
