How the semen produced by the laboratory can transform fertility treatment in the future

Imagine the future in which the diagnosis Undered male infertility It is no longer the end of the road-science has found a way to produce human sperm from the tissue of the nuclei of laboratory engineering.

It may sound like science fiction, but I run a team of scientists in University of Limerick (Ul) Work to make the production of human sperm from laboratory testicular tissue become a reality. If it succeeds, this may redefine fertility treatment and bring hope to millions of people around the world affected by male infertility.

Why now? Because Small reproductive health Falls – and The numbers are too harsh to ignore them.

Over the past seven decades, The number of semen has dropped dramatically while the conditions Testicular cancerhormone imbalance and Defects in the genital organs – which can affect the number of sperm – it grows.

The exact reasons for the decreasing male reproductive health are still discussed. While genetics can play a role, it has not been shown that a single genetic factor does not affect male fertility at the population level. Instead a lot has focused to the environmentin particular chemicals disturbing endocrine.

These chemicals that can interfere with the hormonal function are found in common objects such as plastics, pesticides, cosmetics and even painkillers. Is growing evidence This exposure to these substances in the uterus can escalate the risk of testicular cancer, reduce the quality of semen and lead to male infertility in later life.

For some men, fertility problems are treated – lifestyle changes, hormone therapy or Operation to improve the blockade It can facilitate in the reproductive cable. But for a immense part it is No identifying cause.

This type of unexplained infertility, known as Idiopathic infertilityCurrently, it leaves patients with one option: surgical semen download (SSR).

SSR consists in surgical opening of the testicles to search for vital sperm for exploit in supported reproduction technologies such as IVF. However, success is far from the warranty. In some cases, the chance to find even one useful sperm cell is as low as 40%.

In addition to his physical and emotional fee, SSR places fertility treatment In the partner’s reproductive system, which means that women’s bodies are often the target of drugs and fertility procedures. That’s not much take care of basic health threats related to male infertility, including a higher indicator of the disease and early mortality.

And if SSR fails, the only option is to exploit donor sperm – a hard and emotional decision for many people.

The root of the problem

To remedy male infertility, scientists must get to the source of the problem and develop solutions that restore natural fertility.

So taking into account Ethical and biological limits After the experiment, scientists directly turned to the pre -clinical models for the purpose of examining human testicles. These include ex vivo tissue (human tissue or animals tested outside the body), in vitro cell cultures (human testicular cells bred on laboratory plates) and animal models (usually rodents or primates).

However, the production of human sperm is significantly different – and much less productive – than with other mammals, creating Animal models unbelievable. To move forward, scientists need pre -clinical models that strictly imitate human testicles and their ability to produce sperm.

This remains one of the largest scientific obstacles in the field. While scientists the seed was successfully produced In the laboratory of nuclear tissue mouse, the same was never achieved in humans.

Our research is trying to overcome this challenge by combining biology with mechanical engineering and material sciences. We started by analyzing the samples of human testicular tissues from a number of donors, building a detailed understanding of the functioning of the tissue.

These data were entered in the design of model systems that replicate human testicular tissue – not only biologically, but mechanically and structurally. The ultimate goal is to create a model that can not only imitate the function of the testicles, but also produce vital human seed.

Sperm produced by a laboratory can revolutionize fertility care. One day it can offer a solution to men who have undergone unsuccessful SSR procedures, survival of cancer in children whose fertility has been damaged by chemotherapy or radiation, and men with severe, unexplained infertility, who currently do not have the option of treatment.

This is not just a scientific experiment. It is about restoring hope for those for whom the existing medical approaches ran out of answers.