<p>Sperm grown from the frozen testicle tissue of newborn mice has been used to produce healthy offspring, in a hopeful development for men left infertile by childhood cancer treatment, researchers said today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In a process called spermatogenesis, the sperm was grown in a lab from testicle tissue that had been frozen for more than four months, they said, then deposited directly into immature egg cells to yield mouse babies.<br /><br />The offspring were healthy and able to reproduce in adulthood, the study authors from Japan wrote in the journal Nature Communications.<br /><br />Cryopreservation of testicle tissue taken from boys due to receive cancer treatment has long been mooted as a way of preserving their fatherhood prospects.<br /><br />Recent advances in cancer treatment have boosted the survival rate of juvenile cancer patients, and infertility has become a bigger concern, said the team.<br /><br />"Although they may not be easy and require further investigation... spermatogenesis of other animals including humans are expected to be successful in the future," they wrote.<br />"When this goal is realised, testis tissue cryopreservation will become a practical means to preserve the reproductive capacity of pre-pubertal male cancer patients."</p>
<p>Sperm grown from the frozen testicle tissue of newborn mice has been used to produce healthy offspring, in a hopeful development for men left infertile by childhood cancer treatment, researchers said today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In a process called spermatogenesis, the sperm was grown in a lab from testicle tissue that had been frozen for more than four months, they said, then deposited directly into immature egg cells to yield mouse babies.<br /><br />The offspring were healthy and able to reproduce in adulthood, the study authors from Japan wrote in the journal Nature Communications.<br /><br />Cryopreservation of testicle tissue taken from boys due to receive cancer treatment has long been mooted as a way of preserving their fatherhood prospects.<br /><br />Recent advances in cancer treatment have boosted the survival rate of juvenile cancer patients, and infertility has become a bigger concern, said the team.<br /><br />"Although they may not be easy and require further investigation... spermatogenesis of other animals including humans are expected to be successful in the future," they wrote.<br />"When this goal is realised, testis tissue cryopreservation will become a practical means to preserve the reproductive capacity of pre-pubertal male cancer patients."</p>