Artificial testes created in the laboratory make it possible to study organ development and associated diseases. They are intended to facilitate the possible production of sperm to combat infertility.
The testicle is responsible for sperm production and testosterone synthesis. However, abnormalities in the development and function of the testicle lead to disorders of sexual development and male sterility. Worldwide, approximately one in twelve men of childbearing age suffers from infertility problems. Models of artificial organs (organoids) resemble natural organs and enable the study of their development and associated diseases.
Infertility: Ultimately it comes down to penis size
Israeli researchers have managed to create tiny organs that resemble the tubular structures of a natural testicle. The results of the study will be published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences. The research team collected immature testicular cells from newborn mice. The cells were successfully grown in the laboratory for nine weeks, which is theoretically long enough to complete the process of sperm production and hormone secretion.
Hope for Male Infertility Treatment
Scientists don't yet know whether this model will actually produce sperm, but they have already noticed signs of the start of meiosemeiosis, a process in which gametes are produced. Researchers now hope to create testicular organoids from human samples to treat infertility. “The development of cancer in prepubescent boys, followed by chemotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, results in sterility in one in three boys,” they write. The goal is to cultivate these organoids from biopsies of children with cancer and produce fertile sperm.