Iranian scientists develop method to propagate spermatogonial stem cells

The Iranian researchers at Ibn-e Sina Academy Research Center (ISARC) in collaboration with their Dutch counterparts managed to propagate spermatogonial stem cells for the first time in the world. The announcement was made by ISARC's Medical Education Secretary Hooman Sadri Ardekani on Saturday. Ardekani said young boys treated with high-dose chemotherapy for cancer often face infertility once they reach adulthood. Cryopreserving testicular tissue before chemotherapy and autotransplantation of spermatogonial stem cells at a later stage could theoretically allow for restoration of fertility, he added. Elaborating on the procedure of the study, he said that the research was performed from 2007 to 2011 using testis material donated by males. Expression of spermatogonial markers on both the RNA and protein level was maintained throughout the entire culture period, he added. In recent years, Iran has made giant progress in stem cell science and is now revered as a world pioneering country in the area. Iran has also taken wide strides in other areas of medical science as well and is now producing unique drugs and medication for several types of cancer and AIDS.