A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure in which either all or part of the uterus and vaginal tract are removed. An average of 600,000 hysterectomies are performed in the united states each year (National Women’s Health Network, 2016). For women who are infertile, develop cancer, or have traumatic damage, a hysterectomy is generally required to ensure the prolonged safety of the individual. This practice leaves these women with two choices when it comes to having children; they can either adopt a child or they can employ the services of a surrogate mother. Furthermore, in the recent years surgical sex changes have become more prominent and the receivers of these treatments are left with the same alternatives for children as the aforementioned
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(1995) demonstrated that endometrial epithelial cells and stroma cells, the scaffold that supports the endometrium in a natural uterus, can be co-cultured with a great degree of success. Traditionally, most attempts at the co-culture of endometrial and stroma cells resulted a life expectancy that spanned from about one to three weeks. Originally, Fernandez-Shaw et al. (1992) and Satyaswaroop et al. (1979) were among the first to design a relatively reliable method for the isolation and co-culture of endometrium epithelial cells and stroma cells. Zhang et al adopted the aforementioned method and improved upon it. They isolated the human endometrium and stroma cells by taking strips of hysterectomy endometrium and preparing them using a variety of assays and techniques. The Zhang et al technique will be discussed in subsequent sections. The Zhang et al method allowed for pure isolation of the endometrium cells as any contaminated cells died off within a few days while the remaining pure sample was cultured for 3 to 4 months. The design that Zhang et al employed showed the ability to produce functioning endometrium and stroma cells. Their study also assessed the functionality of the co-cultured cells. Their results showed that the cells successfully produced six of the seven key angiogenic growth factors that natural endometrial epithelial cells express. The seven factors typically expressed are aFGF, bFGF, VEGF, TGF-β1, PT, PlGF and MK. Of the seven, only PlGF was
(1995) demonstrated that endometrial epithelial cells and stroma cells, the scaffold that supports the endometrium in a natural uterus, can be co-cultured with a great degree of success. Traditionally, most attempts at the co-culture of endometrial and stroma cells resulted a life expectancy that spanned from about one to three weeks. Originally, Fernandez-Shaw et al. (1992) and Satyaswaroop et al. (1979) were among the first to design a relatively reliable method for the isolation and co-culture of endometrium epithelial cells and stroma cells. Zhang et al adopted the aforementioned method and improved upon it. They isolated the human endometrium and stroma cells by taking strips of hysterectomy endometrium and preparing them using a variety of assays and techniques. The Zhang et al technique will be discussed in subsequent sections. The Zhang et al method allowed for pure isolation of the endometrium cells as any contaminated cells died off within a few days while the remaining pure sample was cultured for 3 to 4 months. The design that Zhang et al employed showed the ability to produce functioning endometrium and stroma cells. Their study also assessed the functionality of the co-cultured cells. Their results showed that the cells successfully produced six of the seven key angiogenic growth factors that natural endometrial epithelial cells express. The seven factors typically expressed are aFGF, bFGF, VEGF, TGF-β1, PT, PlGF and MK. Of the seven, only PlGF was