PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

1-May-2014

Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary moleary@cell.com 617-397-2802 Cell Press

Researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports on May 1st have successfully coaxed stem cells made from the skin cells of infertile men into producing sperm cell precursors. These induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) produced sperm precursors following transplantation into the testes of mice.

The findings help to explain a genetic cause of male infertility and offer a window into basic sperm biology. The approach also holds considerable potential for clinical application, the researchers say.

"Our results are the first to offer an experimental model to study sperm development," said Renee Reijo Pera of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine and Montana State University. "Therefore, there is potential for applications to cell-based therapies in the clinic, for example, for the generation of higher quality and numbers of sperm in a dish.

"It might even be possible to transplant stem-cell-derived germ cells directly into the testes of men with problems producing sperm," she added. However, getting to that point will require considerable study to ensure the safety and practicality.

Infertility affects 10% to 15% of couples. Moreover, as the researchers note, genetic causes of infertility are surprisingly prevalent among men, most commonly due to the spontaneous loss of key genes on the Y sex chromosome. But the causes at the molecular level have not been well understood.

Reijo Pera said her primary motivation is to understand the fundamental decision early in development that enables the production of sperm cell precursors and ultimately sperm. One way to do that is to study cells lacking genes that are required for sperm production.

The researchers looked to infertile but otherwise normal men with deletions encompassing three Y chromosome azoospermia factor (AZF) regions, which are associated with the production of few or no sperm. They found that iPSCs derived from AZF-deleted cells were compromised in their ability to form sperm in a dish. But when those cells were transplanted into the seminiferous tubules of mice, they produced germ-cell-like cells (though significantly fewer than iPSCs derived from people without the AZF deletion do).

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Sperm precursors made from stem cells of infertile men

The King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) recently joined a conference on stem cell research and its application science and medicine, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The conference, which was organized by the Health Affairs at the National Guard, unveiled the latest discoveries and findings made by researchers at the stem cell and regenerative medicine unit at KAIMRC, the agency said. The conference was attended by several experts on stem cell research representing Saudi Arabia, the United States, Britain, France, Sweden, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. Ahmed Al-Askar, CEO of KAIMRC, said stem cell research is a broad topic that sheds light on how to best exploit human cells to treat diseases for certain organs, such as the liver, kidney or nerves. He said the current use of stem cells is centered on plantation for the treatment of certain types of leukemia, cancer and genetic diseases. Since its inception three years ago, the center has transplanted 200 cells following the creation of a program for transplanting stem cells in children and adults, he said. Saudi Arabia has the sole stem cell donation registry in Arab countries, compared with 60 cells donation registries globally, he said. The Saudi stem cell donation center is meant to attract potential donors from Arab countries, he said. We have had 5,000 donors so far. He said some 400 scientists and experts are working at the center, while another 40 physicians have been dispatched on scholarships to acquire training and specialization. Al-Askar expressed optimism over the future of stem cell use and its contribution to the treatment of a variety of diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, pulmonary and hepatic fibrosis and neurological and cardiovascular disorders.

See the article here:
Conference to shed light on latest stem cell applications