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A monkey left infertile after undergoing chemotherapy while a child had spawned an infant because scientists had frozen his testicular tissue prior to treatment and then had it pushed back after the animal had reached the Adulthood.
This is the first time this technique has been effective in primates and offers hope that childhood cancer patients can maintain their fertility.
Adult cancer patients have the ability to retain their sperm, but in boys, their reproductive tissue does not begin to produce sperm until puberty. There is nothing to save.
As a result, one in three childhood cancer survivors suffer from infertility as a result of severe cancer treatment.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have cryopreserved the immature testicular tissue of five young rhesus monkeys that have not undergone puberty before administering chemotherapy.
They then thawed and transplanted the pieces of tissue under the skin of the same animal and, when they entered puberty, eight to 12 months later, the grafts were removed and the presence of sperm was found.
Sperm was then used to fertilize 138 eggs, of which 41 pc became early embryos and 11 were transferred to females. Last April, a woman was born from the study and called Grady, who remained healthy.
"With the birth of Grady, we were able to prove that we could cryopreserve prepubescent testicular tissue and use it thereafter to restore fertility to adulthood," said the author. Dr. Adetunji Fayomi, of the Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
"Previous research on non-human primates has demonstrated that semen can be produced from frozen prepubescent testicular tissue transplants, but the ability to produce healthy, living offspring – the gold standard of any reproductive technology. – has not been reached so far. "
Dr. Kyle Orwig, lead author, added, "This breakthrough is an important step towards providing young cancer patients around the world with a chance to start a family."
Independent Irish
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