Cryobiology and fertility preservation: A perspective on past, current and future studies

Abstract

Cryopreservation has been used over many decades for the maintenance of viable biological specimens. Its expansion into the area of fertility preservation has been a natural outcome of the increased risks to human fertility from diseases, such as cancer and its treatment protocols, including radiation and chemo-therapy, and thegeneral lifestyle trend to later marriages. The use of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) in preserving fertility have benefitted significantly from new scientific approaches, such as cryostorage, in which live cells and tissues are stored at low temperatures and revived when necessary. This review focuses on "cryopreservation science monitoring in reproductive biomedicine" to evaluate knowledge, trends, driving forces, impetus, and emerging technologies in order to draw a future roadmap for this field. Our analysis of the field of cryobiology emphasises the significance of strategic planning of cryobiology research to support more its extensive use in therapeutics in the future. The Royan Institute (Tehran, Iran) recognises this need and has developed a plan to engage in multidisciplinary research on the application of cryobiology, including in disease mitigation. We hope that this study can help improve the quality and of public discourse and expert awareness of the role for cryopreservation in fertility within ART.