Spermatogonial Stem Cell Culture in Oncofertility
Sherin David, Kyle E. Orwig
Abstract
Infertility caused by chemotherapy or radiation treatments negatively impacts patient-survivor quality of life. The only fertility preservation option available to prepubertal boys who are not making sperm is cryopreservation of testicular tissues that contain spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) with potential to produce sperm and/or restore fertility. SSC transplantation to regenerate spermatogenesis in infertile adult survivors of childhood cancers is a mature technology. However, the number of SSCs obtained in a biopsy of a prepubertal testis may be small. Therefore, methods to expand SSC numbers in culture before transplantation are needed. Here we review progress with human SSC culture.
Topics & Concepts
OncofertilityFertility preservationMedicineFertilityInfertilitySpermatogenesisStem cellTransplantationCryopreservationAndrologyBiopsyMale infertilitySperm bankGynecologyOncologySperm qualitySpermInternal medicineBiologyEmbryoPregnancyCell biologyGeneticsPopulationEnvironmental healthSperm and Testicular FunctionReproductive Biology and FertilityReproductive Health and Technologies