Male testis tissue that is cryopreserved can be reimplanted after more than 20 years and will go on to make viable sperm, according to a new study in rodents in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Eoin Whelan of the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and colleagues publishing May 10th. But the long delay comes with a cost in reduced fertility compared to tissue that is only briefly frozen. The results may have important implications for treatment of boys with cancer, for whom chemotherapy may be preceded by harvesting and freezing of testicular tissue for eventual reimplantation.
Frozen testicular tissue still viable after two decades
Male testis tissue that is cryopreserved can be reimplanted after more than 20 years and will go on to make viable sperm, according to a new study in rodents in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Eoin Whelan of the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and colleagues publishing May 10th. But the long delay comes with a cost in reduced fertility compared to tissue that is only briefly frozen. The results may have important implications for treatment of boys with cancer, for whom chemotherapy may be preceded by harvesting and freezing of testicular tissue for eventual reimplantation.