Spermatogonial Stem Cell-Based Therapies: Taking Preclinical Research to the Next Level.

Fertility preservation biobanking of testicular tissue retrieved from testicular biopsies is now generally recommended for boys who need to undergo gonadotoxic treatment prior to the onset of puberty, as a source of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). SSCs have the potential of forming spermatids and may be used for therapeutic fertility approaches later in life. Although in the past 30 years many milestones have been reached to work towards SSC-based fertility restoration therapies, including transplantation of SSCs, grafting of testicular tissue and various and spermatogenesis approaches, unfortunately, all these fertility therapies are still in a preclinical phase and not yet available for patients who have become infertile because of their treatment during childhood.

Maintenance of Sertoli Cell Number and Function in Immature Human Testicular Tissues Exposed to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy-Implications for Fertility Restoration.

Retrospective studies in adult survivors of childhood cancer show long-term impacts of exposure to alkylating chemotherapy on future fertility. We recently demonstrated germ cell loss in immature human testicular tissues following exposure to platinum-based chemotherapeutic drugs. This study investigated the effects of platinum-based chemotherapy exposure on the somatic Sertoli cell population in human fetal and pre-pubertal testicular tissues.