Canadian scientists have successfully harvested eggs from human ovarian tissue 'incubated' on the back muscles of mice. The researchers announced their results at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, held in Bologna last week.
The technique would provide an alternative to freezing eggs for women facing cancer treatment, say the team. They managed to harvest eggs from ovarian tissue that had been frozen and thawed, as well as from freshly grafted samples. 'If all goes well we could be ready to begin IVF (in vitro fertilisation) in the first patients in a year or so', said Dr Ariel Revel, of the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.
Dr Revel and his colleagues transplanted donated ovarian tissue onto the back of a 'nude' mouse, a strain that does not reject grafts, as it has no immune system. They treated the mouse with human hormones to stimulate the growth of the eggs, which were then harvested for maturing in the laboratory.
Many young women undergoing chemotherapy for cancer have had either mature eggs or samples of ovarian tissue frozen, in the hope of transplanting them back once the treatment is finished. But successfully freezing eggs is difficult, and all attempts to transplant ovarian tissue back into patients have so far failed.
Seventeen patients have now enrolled in the Canadian project, which is awaiting ethical and safety approval. The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said the treatment would currently be outlawed in Britain, but that doctors could apply to carry out similar tests, and would then need a further licence to use the eggs for fertility treatment.
Sources and References
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Mice to the rescue
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Egg tests raise hope for cancer women
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Scientists grow human eggs on the back of mice
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Mouse muscle nurses human eggs
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