Can frozen tissue preserve fertility for children with DSD?
NCT ID NCT06692049
First seen Sep 03, 2026 · Last updated Sep 04, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether gonadal tissue removed from children with disorders of sex development (DSD) can be frozen and stored to preserve fertility. The tissue is already being removed for medical reasons, such as preventing cancer. Researchers will check the tissue for viable germ cells and store it long-term, hoping it might be used in the future to help these children have biological children.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Gonadal tissue cryopreservation (freezing and storing removed gonadal tissue for potential future fertility use)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could give children with disorders of sex development a way to preserve their fertility for the future, using tissue that is already being removed for medical reasons.
- What could go wrong
- The tissue may not contain viable germ cells, and the technology to use it for reproduction is still experimental. The study is early, and success is not guaranteed.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 250 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2018
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2035
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Children diagnosed with a disorder of sex development who have any risk for malignancy in their gonadal tissue or will have their gonads removed for another clinical indication
- Ages
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Up to 30 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Individual \< 30 years of age * Children diagnosed with a disorder of sex development who have any risk for malignancy in their gonadal tissue or will have their gonads removed for another clinical indication Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant children * Patients likely to retain inherent fertility and reproductive function * Children deemed high risk for perioperative complications * Patients 12-18 unable to provide assent (i.e. significant psychiatric problems/cognitive delay) * Patients 18 and older unable to provide consent (i.e. significant psychiatric problems/cognitive delay)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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