'Exciting' advance could finally pave the way to an artificial ovary and significantly boost women's health research.
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.
Besides producing and carrying a woman's unfertilized eggs during her lifetime, the ovary is also responsible for endocrine function — the production of estrogen and progesterone, which in addition to supporting reproductive health, help maintain a woman's cardiovascular, bone, and mental health. What's unique about their work is the focus on both single cell and spatial analysis, said study coauthor Jun Z. Li, associate chair of the University of Michigan's Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics. Specifically, they used a relatively new method called spatial transcriptomics, which allows them to see which genes are being activated and where.
One of the biggest mysteries is why so many eggs never become fertilizable. Each human female is born with about one to two million ovarian follicles. Each follicle carries one immature egg. Around puberty, two thirds of these follicles die off. And most that are left never develop into fertilizable eggs.
Knowing the transcriptional signatures can help researchers understand disease mechanisms and then go on to develop treatments for these diseases.
Health And Medical Tech Health And Med Tech Health And Medical Technology Healthcare Technology Medical Technology Female Infertility Ovaries Science And Innovations Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Polycystic Ovarian Disease Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome PCOS Stein-Leventhal Syndrome Ovarian Cancer Malignant Ovarian Neoplasm Ovary Cancer
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