Sheba (Israel) finds way to preserve fertility of cancer patients after chemotherapy

Hadassa Roness and Lital Kalich-Philosoph Hadassa Roness and Lital Kalich-Philosoph

For the first time, there is hope of natural conception for young female cancer patients undergoing cancer treatment. Cancer treatments often damage a young woman’s ovaries — so if the chemo saves her life, she may still face the inability to conceive a new life later on. Exciting research from Israel now reveals the mechanics of this heartbreaking problem and – most importantly — a long-sought-after way to avoid it.

Doctoral student Lital Kalich-Philosoph and senior researcher Dr. Hadassa Roness used a mouse model of a common chemotherapy drug to understand how it attacks the ovaries and the eggs inside them. Their research was done at the Center for Fertility Preservation at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center – Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel, headed by Prof. Dror Meirow, in collaboration with the Cancer AIDS and Immunology Research Institute at Bar-Ilan University, headed by Prof. Benjamin Sredni.

By Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel21c, June 20, 2013

Israël Science Info