UBC scientists lead breakthrough research around male infertility by 3D printing testicular cells
Posted March 24, 2022 9:29 pm.
Last Updated March 25, 2022 5:18 am.
UBC scientists that have managed to 3D print human testicular cells are being hailed for their major breakthrough when it comes to treating male infertility.
The printed cells show early signs of sperm-producing capabilities.
Dr. Ryan Flannigan is an assistant professor of urology at UBC who’s been working on a program for about three years to understand “why these cells are not producing sperm? [And] what can we do about it?”
The idea to 3D print was to “create the same kind of tubules that are found in the human body,” Flannigan said.
“Our thought is that, if we can recreate around the same size and organization of cells, we know that these cells have to communicate with each other — either in close proximity or through contact — in order to facilitate the transition from a skin cell all the way to sperm. So if we can use that 3D printer to get as close to this as possible, then that probably puts us at the best chance possible of being able to help those stem cells develop into sperm.”
#UBC scientists have discovered how to 3D print testicular cells— a technique that could one day offer a solution for untreatable forms of male infertility. Learn more about this exciting research led by Dr. @RyanFlannigan00 https://t.co/G5mwDPS4AG @VCHResearch @VanProstateCtr pic.twitter.com/VlEiMzeQZ3
— UBC Medicine (@UBCmedicine) March 16, 2022
According to Flannigan, 15 per cent of couples can struggle with infertility, and in half of those cases, males partners are infertile. In 15 per cent of those cases, Flannigan says men face a severe form of infertility, known as non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). NOA is the most severe form of male infertility.
There is microscopic surgery available, but only about 50 per cent of the time, Flannigan says it can be potentially used for IVF. In the other 50 per cent of patients, doctors are unable to find sperm “and they just don’t have many options.”
“So for these individuals creating a regenerative type of therapy would be really exciting. Certainly, it’d be really exciting from my perspective, as well when I see these patients all the time, and it really be nice to have something to offer them down the road,” he said.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to make additional changes and refinements to get closer to our goal for patients.”
The next step is for his team to coach the cells into producing sperm which could eventually be used to fertilize an egg via in vitro fertilization.
