Fertile offspring derived from mouse spermatogonial stem cells cryopreserved for more than 14 years.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Approximately 80% of childhood cancers can now be cured but a side effect of treatment results in about one-third of the surviving boys being infertile or severely subfertile when they reach reproductive age. Currently, more than 1 in 5000 men of reproductive age who are childhood cancer survivors suffer from this serious quality of life problem. It is possible to obtain a testicular biopsy before treatment to preserve the spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) of the male by cryopreservation, but the results of long-term storage of SSCs on their subsequent functional ability to generate normal offspring has not been examined in any mammalian species. Moreover, it will be necessary to increase the number of these cryopreserved SSCs to remove any contaminating malignant cells a

SUBMITTER: Wu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3329194 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature