BOVINE IVF PROCESS
Streamlined and Effective
1
OOCYTE PICK-UP
Oocyte pick-up (OPU), or egg collection, occurs on the farm. An ultrasound guided needle is inserted into the ovaries. The oocytes are removed from the ovaries with a vacuum pump and placed into vials. These vials are then transported back to the laboratory. Typically, anywhere between 10-20 oocytes are collected during one aspiration.
2
FERTILIZATION
Once back at the lab, the oocytes are fertilized using semen from any commercially available bull. One straw of sexed semen can fertilize oocytes from 6 different donors, and a conventional unit can fertilize up to 20 donors. Sexed semen can be used to ensure that almost all (98%) of the embryos produced will be females.
3
CULTURE
Once fertilized, the embryos are moved to another media and placed into incubators to develop into blastocysts. Their progress is monitored over their 7 days of growth. Depending on semen type, oocyte quality and donor characteristics, anywhere from 20%-90% of the oocytes collected will turn into usable embryos.
4
FREEZING
If recipients are not available for fresh implants, embryos can be frozen for later use. The highest quality embryos are selected and then frozen in 1/4cc straws. Each embryo straw is labeled with all pertinent information according to IETS guidelines.
5
IMPLANT
Embryos are implanted into recipient animals, 7 or 8 days after they have been in heat. This process is similar to artificial insemination, but the embryo needs to be implanted into one of the horns of the uterus.