Creating an Artificial Ovary
There are interesting intermediate destinations on the road to tissue engineered replacement organs. This is one of them: researchers have "invented the first artificial human ovary, an advance that provides a potentially powerful new means for conducting fertility research and could also yield infertility treatments for cancer patients. The team has already used the lab-grown organ to mature human eggs. ... An ovary is composed of three main cell types, and this is the first time that anyone has created a 3-D tissue structure with triple cell line. ... the ovary not only provides a living laboratory for investigating fundamental questions about how healthy ovaries work, but also can act as a testbed for seeing how problems, such as exposure to toxins or other chemicals, can disrupt egg maturation and health. ... To create the ovary, the researchers formed honeycombs of theca cells, one of two key types in the ovary, donated by reproductive-age (25-46) patients at the hospital. After the theca cells grew into the honeycomb shape, spherical clumps of donated granulosa cells were inserted into the holes of the honeycomb together with human egg cells, known as oocytes. In a couple days the theca cells enveloped the granulosa and eggs, mimicking a real ovary."
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100914102108.htm