Harvard scientists say they can grow ovaries in a lab
BOSTON – Women's health, in general, has not received the same funding and attention as conditions that affect men. Researchers at the Harvard University Wyss Institute hope to change that.
In conjunction with Duke University and the biotechnology company Gameto, they have created a living, fully human ovarian organoid that supports the maturation of an egg, develops follicles, and secretes sex hormones.
This allows scientists to study the human ovary without needing to take tissue from patients and could lead to the development of new treatments for conditions like infertility and ovarian cancer.
In fact, they say similar technology could one day treat infertility by growing egg cells from people whose own eggs don't function normally.
