Lab-Grown Testicles Developed by Scientists Could Aid With Male Infertility, Boost Understanding of Testicular Development and Function

Scientists were able to develop a pair of small artificial testicles in the hopes that these novel developments could offer male infertility solutions and boost understanding of testicular function and development.

Lab-Grown Testicles

According to senior lecturer Nitzan Gonen, who is from the Faculty of Life Sciences and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials at Bar-Ilan University, artificial testicles are a model that shows promise for basic testicle development and function research. This could translate into applications for therapy for infertility and sexual development disorders.

The development was noted in the "Towards a "Testis in a Dish": Generation of Mouse Testicular Organoids that Recapitulate Testis Structure and Expression Profiles" study.

As part of the endeavor, the lab team of Gonan were able to successfully develop small artificial organs known as organoids. These organoids resemble a natural testicle's tubular structure.

Organoids are small, artificially grown cell masses that resemble actual organs. They could also shed light on organ disease and development.

In order to develop these testicular organoids, the team gathered and cultured immature cells from newborn mouse testicles. These cells spent nine weeks being nurtured in the lab, which is theoretically sufficient for them to finish the process of hormone secretion and sperm production.

While the team is still not sure whether the organoids are capable of producing sperm, they were able to observe signs of early sperm cell production. The organoids were also similar to the tubular structures that can be found in natural testicles, where sperm production takes place.

The maturity level is odd for organoids, as the majority of organoids developed resemble an organ's embryonic stage. However, the team of Gonen was able to foster environmental conditions that enabled the organoids to grow sperm tubes and mature.

Though the mouse models could be useful when it comes to organ development, Gonen is hopeful that these organoids could be produced from human samples.

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Male Infertility

Across the US, around one in 12 men of reproductive age have gone through infertility issues. Male infertility can result from abnormal sperm function, low sperm production, or blockages that prevent sperm delivery. Injuries, illnesses, lifestyle choices, chronic health concerns, and other factors could all contribute to the condition.

The authors of the study also note that cancer development among pre-pubertal boys, followed by radiation and chemotherapy treatments, results in one out of three boys becoming infertile. Moreover, as 85% of young cancer patients are able to survive until adulthood, this poses great health risks that must be addressed. There are currently no available treatments for restoring male fertility among these patients.

The researchers express that, in the study, they were able to develop testicle organoids from mice. They note that it is highly possible for similar conditions to be applied in order for testicular organoids from prepubertal boys to be developed.