"Testis in a dish" - is it possible?

Infertility and disorders of sex development, caused by testicle dysfunction, are experienced by one in six men. However, the research in this area is much lacking due to insufficient available experimental systems. The differences between the human male reproductive system and that found in rodents make animal models inadequate. In non-living systems, also known as in vitro models, a 2D cell culture of the testicular cells called Sertoli cells are adapted to an unnatural growth space and no longer represent the actual tissue. In a recent article published in International Journal of Biological Science, Dr. Nitzan Gonen and her team describe a new approach for the research of male infertility, using testicular organoids. Organoids are 3D structures that are able to mimic the living tissue accurately. Here, the researchers developed an improved method for growing testicular organoids from embryonic Sertoli cells, enabling a more extensive and precise research in this field.