Engineering a bioprosthetic ovary for fertility and hormone restoration

There has been an increase in childhood cancer survivors over the past few decades, and with this, an increased awareness of the co-morbidities of the treatment or disease that affect the survivor's quality-of-life. The increased rate of infertility among this patient group and the desire to have biological children voiced by childhood cancer survivors underscores the urgent need for fertility preservation and development of techniques to restore fertility and gonadal hormone function for this population. The ovarian tissue contains a finite source of female gametes that can be transplanted to restore ovarian function and has resulted in over one hundred reported live births. However, the success of biological offspring per ovarian tissue transplant, the reduced lifespan of these transplants, and the potential for these tissues to contain cancer cells from patients with metastatic diseases supports the need for improved options. One innovation that could improve ovarian transplantation is the development of a bioprosthetic ovary comprised of a 3D printed scaffold with isolated ovarian follicles. A murine bioprosthetic ovary restored ovarian hormones in ovariectomized mice, which also gave birth to healthy offspring. Research is ongoing to create the next iteration of the scaffold that would support ovarian follicles from large animal models and humans with the hopes of translating this technology for patients.