Cancer patients get hope: Bangalore scientists explore way to save eggs lost inside the ovary

Scientists at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) – National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology (NIANP) in Bengaluru are working on a technique to save eggs that are naturally lost inside the ovary at an early stage, before they can ever be used for reproduction.  

Also Read | Why cancer systems in India need to prioritise the time burden of care

If successful, the approach in the later stage could help preserve fertility in cancer patients by safeguarding eggs before treatment damages the ovaries. The same technology could also be used in animal breeding to produce more embryos from genetically valuable livestock, according to scientists. 

The research focuses on preantral follicles – tiny structures in the ovary that contain immature eggs. These eggs are usually lost as part of a natural process and never reach maturity.

Speaking to The Hindu, Dr. Artabandhu Sahoo, Director, ICAR-NIANP, said scientists are now trying to retrieve these immature eggs early, grow them in laboratory conditions, and use them to produce embryos.

At present, assisted reproduction techniques (ART) currently rely mainly on mature eggs, or already formed embryos, which limits how many embryos can be produced from a single animal. 

Dr. Sahoo explained that this is significant because more than 99.9% of eggs inside the ovary degenerate naturally. By tapping into this early-stage reserve of eggs, researchers could increase the number of eggs available for technologies, such as IVF and cloning, which require eggs to develop embryos. Growing these follicles in the lab also allows scientists to closely control the environment in which the eggs develop, helping improve their quality and survival. 

NIANP researchers, the director said, have already made progress in applying this technology to livestock. A team led by Dr. P.S.P. Gupta, Head of the institute’s Animal Physiology Division, has produced the first buffalo embryo using eggs grown from preantral follicles. The institute has also developed freezing techniques for preantral follicles in sheep as part of a DST-sponsored Indo-Hungary collaborative project, and is currently working on preserving embryos produced using this method. 

Globally, live offspring using preantral follicle technology have so far been achieved only in mice, and adapting it for large domestic animals is a work in progress. 

Wider applications ahead

Scientists told The Hindu that producing a large number of embryos is key to extending this success to domestic animals. Beyond animal breeding, the technology could also help create embryo banks, support conservation efforts for endangered species, and provide a reliable way to study the effects of environmental pollutants and medicines on female fertility. This could eventually be used to help cancer patients preserve fertility by storing ovarian tissue and immature eggs before treatment begins, scientists added.