Scientists Create First Map of a Human Ovary: What to Know

For years, scientists have sought to create a human artificial ovary, restoring fertility in patients without other options. The first cellular map of a human ovary, recently developed at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, represents a big leap forward in that quest.

"You cannot build something if you don't have the blueprint," said biomedical engineer Ariella Shikanov, PhD, associate professor at University of Michigan, who helped create what she and colleagues call an atlas of the ovary. "By creating a map or an atlas, we can now follow what nature created and engineer the building blocks of an ovary — and build a nature-like structure."

So far, the concept of an artificial ovary has been successful only in mice, with the development of a 3D-printed prosthetic ovary that enabled sterilized mice to have pups. Researchers hope that artificial human ovary technology could someday help women left infertile after cancer treatment, as well as patients who don't respond to fertility treatments and those with premature ovarian failure.

But Shikanov believes this research will go even further, providing a valuable resource to scientists studying diseases and other conditions related to the ovary.

Source: MEDspace