The gonadotoxic effects of
chemotherapy and radiation may result in
premature ovarian failure in premenopausal oncology patients. Although
autotransplantation of ovarian tissue has led to successful live births, reintroduction of latent malignant cells inducing relapse is a significant concern. In this report, we investigated the design of
biomaterial grafts for
transplantation of isolated ovarian follicles as a means to preserve fertility. Primordial and primary ovarian follicles from young female mice were extracted and encapsulated into
biomaterials for subsequent
transplantation into adult mice. Among the formulations tested, aggregated follicles encapsulated within
fibrin had enhanced survival and integration with the host tissue following
transplantation relative to the
fibrin-
alginate and
fibrin-
collagen composites. All mice transplanted with
fibrin-encapsulated follicles resumed cycling, and live births were achieved only for follicles transplanted within
VEGF-loaded
fibrin beads. The extent to which these procedures reduce the presence of metastatic
breast cancer cells among the isolated follicles was evaluated, with significantly reduced numbers of
cancer cells present relative to intact ovaries. This ability to obtain live births by transplanting isolated primordial and primary follicles, while also reducing the risk of re-seeding disease relative to ovarian
tissue transplantation, may ultimately provide a means to preserve fertility in premenopausal oncology patients.