LONDON, (Reuters) – Scientists have for the first time produced live offspring from testicle tissue that has been cryopreserved, or deep frozen, and say a similar technique might one day be used to preserve the fertility of boys facing cancer treatment.
In a study published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, Japanese researchers said their experiments using mice led to eight healthy offspring being born from sperm produced by previously frozen and thawed testicle tissue.
“The cryopreservation of testicle tissue may be a realistic measure for preserving fertility,” the team, led by Takehiko Ogawa of Japan’s Yokohama City University Association of Medical Science, wrote in the study.
Infertility is one of the adverse side effects of certain types of cancer treatment, and, as cure rates for childhood cancers are increasing, fertility has become an important concern for patients and their families.
Freezing sperm itself to preserve it for future use is only possible for boys who have reached puberty, so scientists have been seeking ways of helping prepubescent boys have a chance of producing their own children even after cancer treatment.