Spermatid Injection Gives Hope

 

INTRODUCTION: 

Spermatid was injected into the cytoplasm of the oocyte (female egg) allows for the production viable embryos developing to term in the mother. Round Spermatid Injection (aka: ROSI) and Elongated Spermatid Injection (aka: ELSI) as well as the focus of the features of zygote development associated with sperm percursor cells for fertilization. The fertilization rates of ROSI were 45% and the rates of ELSI were 44%. (C)

Individual rounds or elongated spermatids were found in spermatid enriched fractions (formed by the centrifugion of cells from azoospermic ejaculates through a discontinuous Percoll gradient column) which were then injected into the female oocytes causing 'Oocyte Activation'. This activation was boosted with the addition of ooplasm at the same time the injection occured. (C)


Males with defects in their spermatogensis are not able to reproduce. Human conception with the use of spermatids instead of spermtaozoa became a possibility when scientists observed that injecting elongated spermatid during cleavage and four cell stage of oocytes produced normal fertilization. This procedure was confirmed through two resulting childbirths due to injection of round spermatids into the female oocytes. (C)

But WHERE are these researchers finding these spermatids to inject into the female oocytes? Well, spermatids are found in the testicular tissue of sertoli cells. Using a micromanipulator to pull these spermatids off but it is common for spermatids to detach spontaneously and appear in the ejaculate of *azoospermic men. (C) *azoospermia is the absence of motile sperm in the semen*

It is critical to have a deep understanding of how fertilization occurs in the human body in order for this procedure to work.  Knowledge of the specific features of spermatids and zygote development are essential for the procedure of ROSI and ELSI to have effective outcomes.

 RESEARCH:

Fourteen healthy children were born to twelve men and their partners after a round of injection of spermatid. This injection of spermatid was once called Rosi which had been banned in the United Kingdom since the 1990s because of the large health risks to children. The injection of the immature sperm cells into eggs could help infertile men worldwide become fathers. This study and its findings have urged UK to reconsider the ban of Rosi. (A)

The 14 successful births followed the injection of 76 electrically stimulated eggs with spermatids taken from men aged 22 to 46. None of the children, born between September 2011 and March 2014, have shown any sign of physical or mental problems or genetic disorders, said the scientists, writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.(A)

Dr Atsushi Tanaka and his team from Institute for Assisted Reproductive Technology in Fukuoka, Japan, concluded, “Round spermatid injection was effectively used in our clinic and resulted in the birth of 14 healthy babies. Although the current success rate of round spermatid injection is not very high compared with intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (Icsi), this procedure can be the last resort for men who cannot produce spermatozoa but wish to use their own genetic material to produce offspring.(A)”

CONCLUSION:

Two decades ago British researchers tried the technique and as a result a few babies were born because of this procedure. The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (aka: HFEA) decided to outlaw this procedure due to the risks of these very same babies produced through this process, coming into the world with physical or mental disability. (Not to mention that it did not always work.) (A)

Such previous attempts with ROSI were failures due to the fact that there was major obstacles in identifying the cells as well as activating the recipient eggs. In order for British scientists to perform a similar study, they would have to ask for permission from HFEA, providing scientific, technologic, and ethical/moral evidence behind this research. (A)

Links:
(A) http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/02/modern-twist-fertility-technique-hope-sterile-men
(B)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583157/
(C)http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/11/4/772.full.pdf

*Please note! These images are not mine. They were found on various tumblr, pinterest, google image sites! If any are yours’ please let me know so that I can give you credit for them! Also the people in the images have no relation to the diseases, illnesses, or cancers I write about. Thanks so much & enjoy~