Composition

• 5 teacher-researchers, 2 technicians
• 1 master 2 student
• 4 PhD students
• 1 post-PhD

  Facilities

• Fluorescence imaging platform
• High resolution and real time imaging system for spermatozoa and oocytes
• Cell and tissue cryobiology platform
• Cell and organ culture
• Cell and tissue in situ hybridization (RNA, DNA)

  Activity

The research team EA4308 is a team in network between Lille2 University and Rouen University. This team, led by Professor Nathalie Rives (PU-PH, Rouen), was created ex nihilo during the previous 2008-2010 four-year contract. This research unit brings together medical doctors and pharmacists, teacher-researchers as well, involved in the theme "Reproduction". Research has been focused on "spermatogenesis and male gamete quality. The team reached its goal of developing a research on the quality of spermatogenesis, which was conducted in two main areas, firstly in the research field of "biological and technological quality of male gamete" and on the other hand, the research on "predictive factors of the presence and quality of male gamete within the context of severe spermatogenesis impairment, the so called "hypospermatogenesis. Two main themes are representative of the team and make up its national and international repute: (i) immature testicular tissue preservation, placing the unit in the position of a national leader in this research topic and a very good place at the international level, (ii) innovative treatment of endometriosis. Concerning the first area, the team tries to evaluate the ability to freeze human immature testicular tissue, to be able to propose an innovative procedure for fertility preservation of prepubertal boys exposed to high gonadotoxic cancer treatment. In this purpose, a model of mice immature testicular freezing was developed with the aim of obtaining a complete, in vitro or after interspecies grafting, spermatogenesis. The different studies are performed within the context of local and national collaborations with Urology Department (Pr. Louis Sibert), “Immuno-Hémato Oncologie Pédiatrique” department (Pr. Jean-Pierre Vannier) and Inserm U905. At the national level, the team is the only one to possess the expertise of immature testicular tissue freezing and also is one of the rare international teams involved in this field.

  Main contributions

• Evaluation of human spermatozoa quality (nucleus and acrosome)
• Model mice of immature testicular tissue freezing
• Human immature testicular tissue freezing procedure
• In vitro spermatogenesis in mice and humans
• In vivo spermatogenesis: immature testicular tissue xenografting