The importance of our studies on the molecular mechanisms involved in steroid synthesis and cell proliferation and differentiation in the mammalian testis lies in the fact that the results obtained will lead to a better understanding of the processes related to human fertility.

On the other hand, recent studies indicate that the incidence of testicular cancer in the world has increased significantly in recent years, and is currently one of the most frequent types of cancer in men aged 15 to 44 years in countries with a high development index. (HDI) such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and China. At the same time, the introduction of cisplatin-based therapies in the late 1970s has led to a significant decrease in testicular cancer mortality in these countries, but the same trend is not observed in low HDI countries, where health systems are often not adapted to offer optimal treatment. In turn, to date there is no effective therapy against metastatic Leydig cell tumors in any country in the world, and the survival of these patients is reduced to two years. Particularly in the Argentine Republic, between 2009 and 2016 (latest data available), 1,487 deaths from malignant testicular tumor were recorded in official hospital establishments, according to the records provided by the Directorate of Health Statistics and Information of the Ministry of Health of Argentina. La Nación (the coverage problems of some jurisdictional archives should be highlighted). Taking into account the above, it is expected that the results of the laboratory's new line of work, based on the study of Leydig cell tumors, will have, in the future, a positive impact on human health at a national and international level.

Finally, in a joint effort with the Endocrinology Unit of the Veterinary Medicine School Hospital (FCVet-UBA), we are studying different treatments for Cushing's Syndrome (CS). To do this, in our work, we use dogs with this pathology, which represents an excellent experimental model given its similarity to the disease in humans, both in etiology and in its clinical presentation. The results obtained in this species have an interesting transfer potential for human medicine, where the casuistry of CS is low and does not allow studies with numerous patients.