In Vitro Spermatogenesis

Wyns, Christine [UCL] Kanbar, Marc [UCL]

In vitro spermatogenesis (IVS) englobes numerous culture techniques that range from single cell expansion and differentiation protocols to the 3D reconstruction of an entire artificial testis all aimed at reproducing the entire spermatogenesis process in vitro, from the spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) to the mature sperm. Besides the need to treat the increasing number of infertile men, IVS has positioned itself, among others, as a pillar for both the understanding and study of the peculiar mechanism of spermatogenesis as well as a potential therapeutic strategy in the field of fertility preservation. Hence, prepubertal boys that elect to preserve their testicular tissue prior to gonadotoxic cancer therapies are good candidates for IVS as the use of IVS-derived spermatozoa for ICSI circumvents the risk of disease relapse due to contaminating malignant cells which may be present in the case of cells and tissue transplantation. This chapter will cover most of the major achievements in IVS in the preclinical developmental stage, its challenges and perspectives.