Artificial Ovary: A Revolution in Bioengineering

Scientists have discovered a new technique that could one day help women who have been rendered infertile by chemotherapy have children. This artificial ovary could act as the Holy Grail of bioengineering in humans. Instead of transplanting from a dead person, researchers at Northwestern University in the US used bioengineering to create a structure that brings back the healthy tissue and restores it to the person, acting as the Holy Grail of bioengineering for regenerative medicine. The structure is 3D-printed using gelatin to create a network that can house follicles that contain eggs.
The exciting thing about this discovery is that we could in the future create ovaries that we hope will one day help restore fertility to young women who have survived cancer, as well as to children who are going through puberty and have undergone cancer-related treatments but have also been rendered infertile by those same treatments.

“We’ve never had a way to restore fertility,” the researchers say.

“We can protect fertility, but we haven’t been able to restore it.

That means these people are supposed to have endocrine hormones like estrogen and progesterone and one day have children.”

These artificial ovaries have shown long-term, sustained function.

In fact, mice with such ovaries

were able to produce milk as a result of normal hormonal changes in their bodies.

Childbirth was achieved by implantation alone, meaning there was no need for angiogenic growth factors, hormonal stimulation, or embryo transfer.
However, the researchers are cautious about these findings, saying

more research is needed to know whether such an artificial ovary can function similarly to a natural ovary in humans

and whether it is not at risk of cancer cells.