Stem cells used to grow a replacement testicle?

[lewis]

@FocalPoint

I talked to some professors from Warsaw Medical University. They are interested in starting research in growing a testicle/creating a testicular tissue for laboratory research. It might be possible that this kind of research could be found from European Union funding - Horizon 2020 Program. I just need now to prepare a list of possible privaite funding (foundations, companies) and a list of scientific papers that could be a base for this kind of research. Do you want to help me?

Those professors told me they have contacts in Europe, including University of Tubingen, where the studies in testicular tissue already has been performed. So, there is a chance to create an international, European team of scientist working in this area and do not rely only on dr. Atala's research.

What is important. One goal of this research program is to create a testicular tissue model that could be used in research of testicular disorders including infertility. That means this research should be interested also for organizations supporting research in that field.

[FocalPoint]

I'm bumping this as I tend to be impatient.

I did send another message off to Dr. Atala's group via Terri Bowen, to see if there are any new updates after year or so. Will post the reply here if/when I receive it. I think I share in some of the paranoia that I would prefer to have two real ones for a "just in case" scenario, vs having the single and being terrified of every odd feeling I get from that region.

[lewis]

Hi guys,

I have recently read that article and I wrote an email to Miromatrix Medical describing our problem and possible solutions. This is a response that I received.

Dear Mr. Wisniewski:

First and foremost, my sincerest sympathies for your medical difficulties. I am pleased to hear that your treatment was successful.

I very much appreciate your contacting me and Miromatrix Medical. Your research is quite complete and impressive. Our goal at Miromatrix is to apply our technology as broadly as possible in order to better the lives of individuals in need with a variety of medical conditions. As a young company, one of the unfortunate facts of operating in the year 2013 is that there never is enough money to do all the things that we would like to do when we would like to do them. Your email has given me much to consider as we continue to set and reset our priorities.

Best of continuing health to you.

Regards,

Rob

It sounds good, but we will see, if there going to be any result. At least they know about the demand.


How long we will have to wait for lab grown organs? It looks that not so much. Scientist predict it will take 5 to 20 years to achieve that (Washington Post, TechCrunch). Personally I believe that for testicle it could be shorter time, because of its small size. Unfortunatelly we cannot rather count on dr. Atala. My friend told me that while talking with him, she had an impression he has the other priorities and he will not work in that field in coming years.

@FocalPoint
You don't need stem cells to grow a new testicle, if you still have one. So it's not about banning or not stem cells research. I just don't think that this kind of not life-saving procedure will be fund from public funding. That is way I think it would be good to create a fund for such research.

@Dan
If you need just a kind of "living prosthesis" maybe you should be interested in work of Dr. Lawrence Bonassar from Cornell University. He has created a 3D printing technology for cartilage replacement. It should be available within 3 years and I think there is no problem to create testicular prosthesis using this technology.

[dan45555]

Hi All,

I would be more interested in the possibility of growing a more life-like prosthesis through the means of tissue engineering, as I am unhappy with my silicone prosthesis. I am guessing that this would be an easier option than growing a fully functional testicle (although I am sure that will become reality in the next 10-15 years).

Dr. Atala has done research in the field of Tissue Engineered Prostheses (http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US6620203), however it is yet to be applied experimentally to humans.

As I said I would be more interested in this option as it seems more of a realistic possibility in the near future.

In terms of how much I would be willing to pay for a fully functional testicle, I would say in the region of $60-80,000.

I think that more should be done to investigate the cosmetic advantages of silicone prosthesis, as I reiterate, I am unhappy with mine and am looking for better solutions.

[FocalPoint]

I've gotten used to having one, but it would be nice to have both testicles again. I am kind of paranoid about it as I really don't want to lose both.

Same, and within 7 years, that hopefully won't be much of a concern, assuming the process of replacement is successful.

[JeffX]

I've gotten used to having one, but it would be nice to have both testicles again. I am kind of paranoid about it as I really don't want to lose both.

[FocalPoint]

Hi guys,

I want to share with you some interesting articles.

The first one about dr. Atala. I think all of us will love this part:
"Atala wants nothing less than to eradicate all chronic disease. Heart disease, kidney disease, short-bowel syndrome, testicular cancer.
Done. Fixed. Gone. In Atala's future, we will no longer be burdened by our broken body parts. We'll just replace them with new ones."

http://www.esquire.com/features/stem-cells-research-politics-0413

Another one from "Wall Street Journal" about growing human nose (already available) and heart (in 5 to 10 years).

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323699704578328251335196648.html?goback=.gde_2137568_member_225704371#project=BODYPARTS0323&articleTabs=article

By the way, how much would you be able to pay for new testicle?

And another one about growing rat's kidney.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23382-kidney-breakthrough-complete-labgrown-organ-works-in-rats.html

So, now we have rat's heart, lung, liver and kidney. Don't you think that it shows some perspective for growing a human testicle? It is quite small, about the same size as rat's lung, so maybe we are not so far off from make it real. Do you think we should support dr. Atala by creating a fund for his research?


Dan, you don't have to be ashamed of your desire for being "normal". I would like the same for me. I hope we will achieve that one day and I believe this day is not so far as it seems to be.

I don't think his research is struggling to stay funded, but it's the leaps and bounds of government regulations and red tape they have to jump through. It's not easy, due to the ban on stem cell research, the government ignorantly placed upon our nation. Thankfully other countries around the globe progressed and are now sharing their data. If they're planning a full organ replacement program publically available and in place by 2020, we're not too far off. We can theoretically see experimentation, and possible practice of this within the next few years. A heart, pancreas, lung, intestines are all much more intricate, and those are now on the horizon, so a testicle might be a little bit easier for them to manufacture. Lets hope! I wouldn't mind a price tag in the $20k region for growing and implantation.

[lewis]

Hi guys,

I want to share with you some interesting articles.

The first one about dr. Atala. I think all of us will love this part:
"Atala wants nothing less than to eradicate all chronic disease. Heart disease, kidney disease, short-bowel syndrome, testicular cancer.
Done. Fixed. Gone. In Atala's future, we will no longer be burdened by our broken body parts. We'll just replace them with new ones."

http://www.esquire.com/features/stem-cells-research-politics-0413

Another one from "Wall Street Journal" about growing human nose (already available) and heart (in 5 to 10 years).

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323699704578328251335196648.html?goback=.gde_2137568_member_225704371#project=BODYPARTS0323&articleTabs=article

By the way, how much would you be able to pay for new testicle?

And another one about growing rat's kidney.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23382-kidney-breakthrough-complete-labgrown-organ-works-in-rats.html

So, now we have rat's heart, lung, liver and kidney. Don't you think that it shows some perspective for growing a human testicle? It is quite small, about the same size as rat's lung, so maybe we are not so far off from make it real. Do you think we should support dr. Atala by creating a fund for his research?


Dan, you don't have to be ashamed of your desire for being "normal". I would like the same for me. I hope we will achieve that one day and I believe this day is not so far as it seems to be.

[dan45555]

Hi All,

I would also like to know if anyone else knows about possible testicle regeneration through stem cell?

It is something that I have been researching for a while but have found scarce materials on the subject. I am aware of the work that Dr. Atala at the Wake Forest Institute is doing, but I think he is the only one (?)

I basically wanted to bump up the thread as I have followed and thought it was getting a bit quiet.

My case is that I had a testicle removed in my mid-teens and the loss has always affected me. I have always wanted to be "normal". I many people will argue that I need psychological help rather than a new testicle and I am sure they are right. But why not try and get both!

Another point is that I have a silicone prosthesis which I find very uncomfortable and also weirdly unnatural in feel. I am interested in developments in a tissue engineered prosthesis, which I know Dr. Atala has been working on. This would be prosthesis which felt much more like a real testicle as it is made from the bodies own cells. Although, the prosthesis would have no real function, it would certainly give a better cosmetic result.

I am aware that my issue would be seen as very insignificant by the medical community, as I am lucky to still have a functioning organ unlike some people, and much more valuable research is required, which I would not disagree with. However, saying that, I think for people with no testicles a possible organ transplant would have many benefits and I am sure these are the people that the organ regeneration program is based around.


Although my issue is cosmetic I do not think that means it is to be ignored. My view is that if someone has a testicle removed it is best to replace it with something as close to the original as possible, not just stitch a golf ball of rubber inside.

Would be great to hear everyone else's view on the issue.

Thanks,

Dan.

[lewis]

Hello,
it is great to know that I'm not the one who would like to have both testicles and just forget or almost forget that this disease has ever happened. It is also great to know that my post inspired someone in looking for the solution (the one that was quoted).
I stared my research in possibilities of using stem cells to make a replacement organ when I was in a hospital, so more than a year ago. I want to share results of those research with you. I hope that we will be able to achieve our goal one day and I believe that day is not so far.

So, first of all. The institute that is for sure working on creating a testicle is Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine with it's director, an urologist dr. Anthony Atala.
Here you can watch his speeches at TED conference.

http://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_growing_organs_engineering_tissue.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_printing_a_human_kidney.html

On Facebook I've found a women, whose son was born without testicles. She has met with dr. Atala and discuss with him the issue of transplanting a testicle (of course she made an appointment for the other reason). She also asked dr. Atala about my case and as she wrote to me, dr. Atala said that if there is a testicle that could be the source of cells, creating a new one is "relatively easy". I don't know what that exactly means, because she hasn't wrote about details yet, but she wrote that we, the cancer survivors should fight for that.
I will publish here details when I will recieve a report from her. You can also make an appointment with dr. Atala and ask him personally. He is a chief of urology department at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (of course give the other reason of the visit, for example implant consultation).

I've also find some scientists in UK that work in area of making testicle cells from stem cell.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/apr/13/cancer.stemcells?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

http://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=37435

http://www.crh.ed.ac.uk/research/prof-lee-smith%E2%80%A8/

Other research in creating reproductive cells from stem cells.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/lab-grown-mice/

http://www.nature.com/news/first-road-map-of-human-sex-cell-development-1.12048

Other hormone producing organs grown in laboratory.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=hormone-producing-thyroid-grown-from-embryonic-stem-cells

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/neurophilosophy/2011/dec/04/1

I've found a doctor in Saint Louis (MO) who has performed a few testicle transplants in 1970's (between twins). Now he is performing ovary transplants.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/6651648/Fertility-stop-all-the-clocks.html

http://infertilitycenter.info/pdf_files/archive/1980_FertStert-PregafterTrans.pdf

There are a few ways to create an organ. First one is to use a scaffold and seed it with cells. The scaffold could be synthetic or natural. The second one could be created by decellularization human or animal organ (testicle scaffolds can come from men who undergo sex-changing surgeries).
Here you can watch Science Nova Now episode about decellularization.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_91_nARa0E&feature=related

They're talking about growing lung in a laboratory. Here you can read about it.

http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v16/n8/full/nm.2193.html

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/06/rats-breathe-with-lab-grown-lung.html

The scaffold could be also created by 3D printer.

http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2012/03/3-d_printers_help_doctors_cust.html

The other way to create an organ is to basically print it with bioprinter, like the one that is producing by Organovo.

http://hplusmagazine.com/2010/03/23/print-your-own-designer-organs/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EJlTncToghM

http://www.gizmag.com/3d-printed-biological-tissues/24155/?utm_source

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/?id=9049

You can also grow it at International Space Station.

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=36118

I wrote to Organovo to ask, if they're going to be able to print a testicle in the future. That is the response that I've received:

Dear Leszek,
Thanks very much for your email. I'm very glad to hear your cancer treatment was successful, but I understand that it is quite a loss to have had one testicle removed. I'm not sure what article you are referring to, but unfortunately right now we do not make tissues for human transplantation. This is certainly something we are working on, but it will be a few years away. The majority of the tissues we produce right now are for drug testing and evaluation. So I'm sorry to say we cannot meet your needs. However, do please check in with us over the coming years as the technology evolves. I wish you all the best.

Regards,
Eric David
_______________________
Eric Michael David, MD, JD
Chief Strategy Officer

Organovo, Inc.
6275 Nancy Ridge Drive
San Diego, CA 92121

+1 917.582.8721 (cell)
+1 858.526.3366 (direct)
+1 858.550.9948 (fax)
[email protected]

If some of you consider to look for this kind of research in Europe, there might be two or three countries to think of: UK, Germany or Sweden. In that last country it is the most feasible that they will accept this kind of procedure, because a few revolutionary surgeries were performed there.
a synthetic trachea transplant

http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?l=en&d=130&a=125055&newsdep=130

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=I1G1evlXfKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K83YK4wBPGA&feature=related

a lab grown vein

http://singularityhub.com/2012/06/18/ten-year-old-girl-receives-major-vein-grown-from-her-own-stem-cells/

and the uterus transplant

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19637156

If you would like to support research in lab grown organs, you can join New Organ Prize, an initiative of Methuselah Foundation, which aim is to achieve lab grown organs by 2020.

http://www.neworgan.org/

http://www.methuselahfoundation.org/

At the and two articles, one positive and another very sad.

http://hplusmagazine.com/2010/11/28/total-gender-change-within-decade/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/21/beyond-the-battlefield-afghanistan-genital-injuries_n_1335356.html

As you see, we are not the only ones who need a lab grown testicle.

I hope you enjoy this post and found in it many useful informations.

[mrskye]

Artificial Testicle Could Treat Male Infertility

the articles might be of interest

http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/2120-artificial-testicle-treat-male-infertility.html

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-10-05/health/bs-hs-hopkins-testosterone-study-20121005_1_low-testosterone-cells-zirkin

[FocalPoint]

I received this message today from the institute:

Mr. Park,



Thank you for your inquiry regarding Dr. Atala’s research on testicle regeneration using cell and tissue engineering techniques. Although we are actively working in this area, it is still in the experimental stage. We regret that this technology cannot be applied to clinical practice at this time. However, it is our goal to bring this technology to a point of widespread clinical use, and we hope that we could help patients and their families, like you, in the future. We thank you for your interest in our work. We will keep your inquiry on record and contact you if appropriate in the future.



Please provide your full name, date of birth, address, phone number, and email so that we can contact you if needed.



Sincerely,







Terri Bowen

Administrative Manager

Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine

336-713-7293 / 336-713-7290-fax

[email protected] / www.wfirm.org

[FocalPoint]

I received this response to a thread I replied in a few years ago about testicle transplants and possible regen. therapy, and received this response today.

Mind you the tone of the thread was grim...

"Hello, I had my testicle removed about a year ago, because of testicular cancer. I couldn't accept it and I was even close to commit suicide, but then I realized that once I've read about lab grown trachea transplant. I started searching for something like that with testicles and I found that dr. Anthony Atala at Wake Forest institute for Regenerative Medicine is working on that. This a message that I've received form Institute: "Thank you for your inquiry regarding Dr. Atala’s research on testicular regeneration using cell and tissue engineering techniques. Although we are actively working in this area, it is still in the experimental stage. We regret that this technology cannot be applied to clinical practice at this time. However, it is our goal to bring this technology to a point of widespread clinical use, and we hope that we could help patients and their families, like you, in the future. We thank you for your interest in our work. We will keep your inquiry on record and contact you if appropriate in the future. Please provide your full name, date of birth, address, phone number, and email so that we can contact you if needed." I'm so happy that I'm not the one who would like to be normal and who do not think it is all right to have only one testicle. By the way, I've wrote about that testicular cancer foundations, but no of them were interested, but I've found a group for people with anorchia (they don't have testicles at all since birth). They are much more interested in regenerative medicine. You can find this group on Facebook, just search for anorchia. You can also write to me at newtesticle at gmail dot com. Maybe we can organize something together."


I sent the Doctor a message already detailing my plight which I encourage everyone to do the same if possible. Seems like this is perhaps more likely in our lifetimes than we thought.

[Davepet]

Cool, I'd be interested in learning more about that.

[FocalPoint]

You were not a victim of any *known* prenatal defects. They really have no idea what might cause the tendency for TC to develop. The main risk factor is an undescended testicle at birth, which increases the odds, but they don't know why. Most of us have had no diagnosed prenatal problems, but that can't rule out what isn't known yet.

It took 35 years for my 2nd TC to show up. If you pay attention to the dates, you will find very few others on this board that had their 1st TC back in the mid 70's. The advent of BEP & better testing methods in the late 70's/early 80's have reversed the odds from less than 10% survival to less than 10% fatal. The statistics on TC 2 may take a while to catch up.

While I'm sure at some point in time, the stem cell thing will be viable, I don't think it will be in any current generation's lifetime, maybe the youngest generation. JMHO

If the article you mentioned is not in English, not much point in looking for it, while I can read some Spanish, a technical article would be beyond my abilities. French & German are not in my bag of tricks at all.

Dave

Well if I come across it, I will translate it for you, and post it here. No sweat.