SciFri - From Stem Cells to Eggs and Beyond [NPR AUDIO 10-27-2012]
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SciFri - From Stem Cells to Eggs and Beyond [NPR AUDIO 10-27-2012] - Video

Washington, November 2 (ANI): An injection of banked sperm-producing stem cells can restore fertility in male primates who become sterile due to the side effects of cancer drugs, researchers say.

In the animal study by researchers at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine And Magee-Womens Research Institute, previously frozen stem cells restored production of sperm that successfully fertilized eggs to produce early embryos.

Some cancer drugs work by destroying rapidly dividing cells. As it is not possible to discriminate between cancer cells and other rapidly dividing cells in the body, the precursor cells involved in making sperm can be inadvertently wiped out leaving the patient infertile, said senior investigator Kyle Orwig from Magee-Womens Research Institute.

"Men can bank sperm before they have cancer treatment if they hope to have biological children later in their lives," Orwig said.

"But that is not an option for young boys who haven't gone through puberty, can't provide a sperm sample, and are many years away from thinking about having babies," he said.

Even very young boys, though, have spermatogonial stem cells in their testicular tissue that are poised to begin producing sperm during puberty.

To see whether it was possible to restore fertility using these cells, Dr. Orwig and his team biopsied the testes of prepubertal and adult male macaque monkeys and cryopreserved the cells from the small samples. The monkeys were then treated with chemotherapy agents known to impair fertility.

A few months after chemotherapy treatment, the team re-introduced each monkey's own spermatogonial stem cells back in to his testes using an ultrasound-guided technique. Sperm production was established from transplanted cells in nine out of 12 adult animals and three out of five prepubertal animals after they reached maturity.

In another test, spermatogonial stem cells from other unrelated monkeys were transplanted into infertile animals, which created sperm with the DNA fingerprint of the donor to allow easy tracking of their origin.

In lab tests, sperm from transplant recipients successfully fertilized 81 eggs, leading to embryos that developed to the morula and blastocyst stages, which are the stages that normally precede implantion in the mother's uterus. Donor parentage was confirmed in seven of the embryos.

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Sperm-producing stem cell jab 'may restore male fertility after cancer treatment'

1 November 2012 Last updated at 23:09 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

Boys left infertile by childhood cancer treatment may one day be able to produce healthy sperm by using stored stem cells, monkey research suggests.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can kill tumours and the cells which make sperm.

A study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, extracted sperm-producing stem cells before cancer treatment and later placed them back into the monkey.

Sperm which could fertilise an egg were produced, which experts labelled a "milestone" in research.

Most men who have cancer treatment which could affect their fertility can choose to freeze sperm before their treatment starts. This is not an option for patients who have not yet gone through puberty.

These are issues we still must work through, but this study does show us the concept is feasible

However, they do have the spermatogonial stem cells which would start to produce sperm in their teenage years.

The researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the Magee-Womens Research Institute took samples of the stem cells from macaques and stored them in a freezer.

The monkeys were then given a chemotherapy drug.

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Stem cell op may 'restore sperm'

By Helen Lawson

PUBLISHED: 03:59 EST, 3 November 2012 | UPDATED: 04:13 EST, 3 November 2012

Strenuous daily exercise could help to repair the heart of someone who has just suffered a heart attack, according to a new study.

Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University found that vigorous regular exercise led to dormant stem cells in the heart becoming active. This stimulated the development of new heart muscle.

The findings, published in the European Heart Journal, suggest that scientists could soon be able to improve the quality of life for people suffering from heart disease or heart failure.

Vigorous daily exercise could lead to the heart generating new heart muscle cells, according to a study funded by the British Heart Foundation

This is the first study of its kind to suggest that a basic exercise regime could have the same effect on the heart as injecting growth chemicals to stimulate stem cells to produce new tissue.

The team of scientists, funded by the British Heart Foundation, studied healthy male rats for up to four weeks by exercising them on an intensity-controlled treadmill for half an hour, four times a week.

The rats on a high-intensity programme showed the greatest increase in the size of their hearts, as expected, but also their aerobic capacity - how well the heart, lungs and blood vessels work.

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Daily exercise could help to repair damage from heart failure

November 2, 2012

[WATCH VIDEO: Stem Cells Show Promise For Treating Infertility]

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRIF) recently discovered that a stem-cell based approach to treat infertility was successful in non-human primates and could possibly be used by cancer patients who have become infertile as a result of chemotherapy.

In particular, patients who undergo chemotherapy or radiation therapy often become infertile due to the treatments that damage dividing cells; these cells include both cancer cells and spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), stem cells that later on become sperm.

Before undergoing cancer therapy, some patients have the option to cryopreserve their sperm and use the cells later on to have children. However, while adult males have this option, prepubertal boys do not as they have not yet reached the age where they produce mature sperm and, as such, cancer treatments can cause them to become permanently infertile.

Men can bank sperm before they have cancer treatment if they hope to have biological children later in their lives, explained senior investigator Kyle Orwig, an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive medicine at the Pitt School of Medicine, in a press release. But that is not an option for young boys who havent gone through puberty, cant provide a sperm sample, and are many years away from thinking about having babies.

The preclinical study was recently published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

This is the first study to demonstrate that transplanted spermatogonial stem cells can produce functional sperm in higher primates, remarked Orwig, who also serves as an investigator at the Magee-Womens Research Institute, in the statement. This is an important step toward human translation.

With the new findings, the scientists believe that the young male patients can possibly preserve their SSCs prior to having cancer therapy. These cells can later on be transplanted when they end their cancer treatment and when they reach the point of sexual maturity. The team of investigators examined this possible option by cyropreserving SSCs from monkeys prior to treatment of a chemotherapy drug.

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Stem Cells Help Preserve Sperm of Male Cancer Patients