First artificial human ovary could mature eggs outside the body



Women unable to have children have been given fresh hope after scientists developed the world's first artificial ovary.

The researchers say their breakthrough could help thousands who become infertile from chemotherapy or other treatments which damage the reproductive system.

The ovary was grown in a laboratory using cells from women of normal childbearing age.

They then inserted human egg cells to test if it was capable of helping them to develop until they were ready to be released into the womb.

A surgeon uses a laparoscope inserted through the abdominal wall to harvest a woman's ova (eggs) for IVF. Scientists may now be able to mature eggs outside the body

Once the egg was inserted, the scientists found that the ovary treated the egg cells just as it would naturally in a woman's body.

The artificial organ was then able to help the eggs develop into their fully mature stage, the point at which they would be released into the womb to be fertilised.

The team says its discovery, published in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, could help thousands of cancer sufferers who become infertile through treatment.

Women about to undergo chemotherapy could have their immature eggs frozen and later implanted into the artificial ovary if they wanted children.

The U.S. scientists, from Brown University on Rhode Island, also said the artificial organs could be used to help discover why some women find it difficult to conceive.

Sandra Carson, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, said that the 'very, very new' research was a breakthrough for egg development in the lab.



Thousands of women undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy face the heartache that the treatment will leave them infertile.

The powerful anti-cancer drugs and therapies often destroy the cells that surround the eggs in the ovaries, ruining any chance of the women having children.

In recent years they have been offered hope by research showing that eggs can be successfully grown in a lab.

The breakthroughs also raise the prospect that women will one day use the techniques to side-step the menopause, delaying motherhood for the sake of their careers.