Possibilities in Germ Cell Research: An Engineering Insight.
Germ cells (GCs) are responsible for fertility and disruptions in their development or function cause infertility. However, current knowledge about the diverse mechanisms involved in GC development and function is still in its infancy. This is mainly because there are low numbers of GCs, especially during embryonic development. A deeper understanding of GCs would enhance our ability to produce them from stem cells. In addition, such information would enable the production of healthy gametes for infertile couples. In this regard, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) demonstrated a promising ability to produce GCs in vitro. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the field of tissue engineering that suggest novel strategies to enhance GC research.
Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology in Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran; Department of Developmental Biology, University of Science and Culture, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
Fereshteh
F
Esfandiari
Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, EPFL Campus, Lausanne, Switzerland; Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
Omid
O
Mashinchian
Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology in Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Kazemi
MK
Ashtiani
Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology in Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Hossein
MH
Ghanian
Department of Developmental Stem Cell Biology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Katsuhiko
K
Hayashi
Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Amir Ata
AA
Saei
Nanotechnology Research Center and Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Cardiovascular Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Morteza
M
Mahmoudi
Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology in Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran; Department of Developmental Biology, University of Science and Culture, ACECR, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: baharvand@royaninstitute.org.
Hossein
H
Baharvand
D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
gametes; germ cells; pluripotent stem cells; tissue engineering