Ovarian transplantation is possible
Approximately 1% of women worldwide suffer from premature loss of ovarian function. This can be caused by many reasons. One of them is chemotherapy, which is used to treat malignant diseases and often leads to irreversible damage to the ovaries. Thanks to the latest advances in oncology, the number of women of childbearing age who have been cured of cancer has recently increased, some of whom are still very young. Such women quite often prematurely enter menopause. Genetic diseases can also be the cause of early menopause, but in most cases the cause of this pathology cannot be established.
The authors explain that early menopause deprives women of the opportunity to give birth to a child. In addition, it leads to a sharp decrease in hormone levels, which can cause the early development of osteoporosis and other manifestations of menopause.
An international team of researchers working under the leadership of Dr. Samuel Kim from the University of Kansas, for the first time attempted an allogeneic ovarian transplant using a new immunosuppressive agent known as PIF (preimplantation factor) to prevent transplant rejection. The work was carried out on the basis of the Primate Research Institute in Nairobi (Kenya) on two female baboons who received PIF before and after transplantation. As a result, the transplant successfully took root in one of the animals, in which a functional menstrual cycle was also initiated. In the second animal, the transplantation was not successful.
Despite this, the results of the study indicate the possibility of successful ovarian transplantation in the future. The authors also demonstrated the effectiveness and absence of undesirable side effects of PIF, which opens up new prospects for transplantation of other organs. Currently, they are engaged in the search and study of factors that ensure the success of transplantation.
The results of the work were presented at the 72nd Annual Congress of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, held on October 15-19 in Salt Lake City.
Article by M. Feichtinger et al. Allogene Transplantation of Ovarian Tissue with Sole Use of Novel Immunomodulator, Preimplantation Factor (PIF), Restored Ovarian Function in Baboons is published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the Medical University of Vienna: Ovarian transplantation might be possible in the future.
08.11.2016