RSS Feeds

Earth Science

Space Science

Life Science

Fields of Scientific Study

Nanotechnology

Cancer

Definitions of The Fields of Scientific Study

Researchers report technique for freezing and preserving genetically enhanced pig embryos

May 04, 2006

Researchers led by a University of Missouri-Columbia professor of reproductive biotechnology have reported success in freezing and preserving swine embryos that were created by in vitro techniques and that carried modified genetic material. After thawing and transfer to a surrogate mother, some of the embryos went on to produce live piglets with new genetic traits.

In a paper posted today (May 3, 2006) on the Web site of Biology of Reproduction-Papers in Press, a team headed by Dr. Randall Prather, co-director of the National Swine Resource and Research Center, note that their technique could prove valuable in allowing genetically enhanced swine to be transported as embryos across the country and throughout the world.

Because many embryos are needed to produce a successful pregnancy in surrogate female pigs, this new procedure will enable workers to collect an adequate number of altered embryos and store them until they can be transplanted to a surrogate.

Swine embryos have been difficult to freeze and preserve because of their sensitivity to cold due to a high level of lipids in the cells of the embryos. It was expected that it would be even more difficult to freeze and preserve swine embryos that had been produced by in vitro methods.

Dr. Prather's team overcame the obstacles to freezing swine embryos by first removing lipids from unfertilized eggs before fertilizing them with muscle cells from a male pig containing modified genetic material. The resulting embryos were then frozen at the blastocyst stage.

Upon thawing, embryos were transferred to surrogate female swine. Embryos placed in the oviducts of two surrogates led to pregnancies that produced two piglets in one litter and eight piglets in another.

Testing confirmed that the piglets carried the modified genetic material and that the new gene had altered the fatty-acid content in tissues from the piglets.

With ten piglets from 163 frozen and preserved embryos, the researchers feel that their procedure appears to work well, although further studies will be needed to refine the technique.

Dr. Prather and his team expect that freezing and preserving swine embryos will enable wide dissemination of swine with genetic traits that are commercially valuable and also important for biomedical research involving this increasingly relevant animal model for human disorders.

Society for the Study of Reproduction

Related Embryos Current Events and Embryos News Articles

Embryos Current Events and Embryos News RSS

DNA barcodes: Creative new uses span health, fraud, smuggling, history, more
The scientific ability to quickly and accurately identify species through DNA "barcoding" is being embraced and applied by a growing legion of global authorities - from medical and agricultural researchers to police and customs authorities to palaeontologists and others.

Tiny injector to speed development of new, safer, cheaper drugs
It's no bigger than a stamp packet but it has the potential to allow rapid development of a new generation of drugs and genetic engineering organisms, and to better control in-vitro fertilization.

Of mice and men: Stem cells and ethical uncertainties
The recent creation of live mice from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) not only represents a remarkable scientific achievement, but also raises important issues, according to bioethicists at The Johns Hopkins University's Berman Institute of Bioethics.

The skeleton: Size matters
Vertebrates have in common a skeleton made of segments, the vertebrae. During development of the embryo, each segment is added in a time dependent manner, from the head-end to the tail-end: the first segments to be added become the vertebrae of the neck, later segments become the vertebrae with ribs and the last ones the vertebra located in the tail (in the case of a mouse, for example).

Endocrine Society calls for expanded scope and funding for stem cell research
Stem cell research holds great promise for the treatment of millions of Americans with debilitating and possibly fatal diseases.

Researchers discover mechanism that prevents two species from reproducing
Cornell researchers have discovered a genetic mechanism in fruit flies that prevents two closely related species from reproducing, a finding that offers clues to how species evolve.

IVF insurance coverage yields fewer multiple births, Yale researchers find
The proportion of in vitro fertilization (IVF) multiple births was lower in the eight states that provide insurance coverage for couples seeking IVF treatment, primarily due to fewer embryos transferred per cycle.

Identifying the metabolism of a healthy embryo could improve infertility treatment
Embryos that are most likely to result in a pregnancy are crucial to the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF) but are difficult to identify. Researchers at Yale School of Medicine, led by Emre Seli, M.D., are developing a fast, non-invasive test to help assess embryo viability for IVF.

Small mechanical forces have big impact on embryonic stem cells
Applying a small mechanical force to embryonic stem cells could be a new way of coaxing them into a specific direction of differentiation, researchers at the University of Illinois report. Applications for force-directed cell differentiation include therapeutic cloning and regenerative medicine.

Cell death occurs in the same way in plants, animals and humans
Research has previously assumed that animals and plants developed different genetic programs for cell death.

More Embryos Current Events and Embryos News Articles

	Steig Aus by Embryo Founded by Christian Burchard (drums, marimba, vibraphone) and still going strong almost 38 years later, Embryo are an excellent example of fusion music from 1973 and further demonstrate the vision of diversity the Brain label founders had. Aided by Dave King and Joerg Evers on bass, the famous Mal Waldron on electric piano, Roman Bunka on guitar, Jimmy Jackson on organ and Mellotron and Edgar Hoffmann on violin, Steig Aus is built of 3 long and wonderful tracks. Steig Aus is another "must own" record, not only for Krautrock collectors but for lovers of fine music in general.
	Embryo Starring: Rock Hudson, Barbara Carrera, Diane Ladd, Roddy McDowall, Anne Schedeen Directed By: Ralph Nelson Also With: Fred J. Koenekamp (Cinematographer), Anita Doohan (Producer), Anita Doohan (Writer), Arnold H. Orgolini (Producer), Michael S. Glick (Producer), Sandy Howard (Producer), Jack W. Thomas (Writer) Rock Hudson stars in this science fiction story of an experiment gone very wrong. He plays a scientist who decides to create a human from basic genetic material. The result is lovely Barbara Carrera (the sexy villainess of 'Never Say Never Again') in the role of the creature grown from an embryo. Although beautiful, she displays not only her physical charms but aberrant and definitely homicidal behavior. As she becomes more erratic, the enamored doctor is faced with perhaps destroying his own creation. Roddy McDowall and Diane Ladd also star in this unusual tale mixing sex with science. Running time: Approx. 106 minutes Includes the original theatrical trailer! Approx. 2 minutes Bonus Material: Beautiful women turned into monsters (and vice versa!) has been a popular theme in horror...
	Embryo: A Defense of Human Life by Robert P. George (Author), Christopher Tollefsen (Author) The bitter national debates over abortion, euthanasia, and stem cell research have created an unbridgeable gap between religious groups and those who insist that faith-based views have no place in public policy. Religious conservatives are so adamantly opposed to stem cell research in particular that President Bush issued the first veto of his presidency over a bill that would have provided federal funding for such research. Now, in this timely consideration of the nature and rights of human embryos, Robert P. George and Christopher Tollefsen make a persuasive case that we as a society should neither condone nor publicly fund embryonic stem cell research of any kind. Typically, right-to-life arguments have been based explicitly on moral and religious grounds. In Embryo,...
	Steig Aus by Embryo Founded by Christian Burchard (drums, marimba, vibraphone) and still going strong almost 38 years later, Embryo are an excellent example of fusion music from 1973 and further demonstrate the vision of diversity the Brain label founders had. Aided by Dave King and Joerg Evers on bass, the famous Mal Waldron on electric piano, Roman Bunka on guitar, Jimmy Jackson on organ and Mellotron and Edgar Hoffmann on violin, Steig Aus is built of 3 long and wonderful tracks. Steig Aus is another "must own" record, not only for Krautrock collectors but for lovers of fine music in general.
	Rocksession by Embryo Released in 1973, Rocksession was the second of two Embryo releases on the Brain label, again combining their strange crossover of Space Rock and ethnic sounds. Compared to Embryo s later recordings, Rocksession still betrayed European influences, while already revealing obvious hints of the ethno style that was to make Embryo internationally renowned following their first African tour. This journey, which took the group on a four week tour of Northern Africa and Portugal in May 1972, came close to a culture shock for (Embryo frontman) Christian Burchard: It was like being on another planet. We didn t understand anything and discovered only later that they have a different tonal system and sense of rhythm. The four expansive, sweeping numbers on Rocksession went down well with the German...
	60 Minutes - A Surplus of Embryos (February 12, 2006) One of 10 couples in the United States is infertile, and many seek help through in vitro fertilization. This has resulted in 400,000 human embryos now stored in U.S. fertility clinics. What will happen to the unused embryos? Will they be discarded or used for stem cell research? Lesley Stahl reports. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
	The Triumph of the Embryo by Lewis Wolpert PhD (Author) Of the great mysteries that face modern biologists, one of the most intriguing concerns the development of the microscopic embryo into exceedingly complex plants and animals--into roses and cacti, elephants and blue whales, apes and human beings. How does one cell give rise to so many millions of cells? How do they divide so as to form hearts, brains, eyes, and ears? Where in this pin-head-sized object is all this information encoded? Now, in The Triumph of the Embryo, British biologist Lewis Wolpert treats general readers to a lucid tour of embryology, offering the latest theories in this fascinating field. Like the best scientist-authors, Wolpert's writing is filled with rich and unusual examples, metaphors, and descriptions. Nor does he hesitate to move beyond his overall...
	Embryo Starring: Rock Hudson, Barbara Carrera, Diane Ladd, Roddy McDowall, Anne Schedeen Directed By: Ralph Nelson Also With: Anita Doohan (Producer), Michael S. Glick (Producer), Sandy Howard (Producer), Arnold H. Orgolini (Producer)
	Embryo [VHS] Starring: Rock Hudson, Barbara Carrera, Diane Ladd, Roddy McDowall, Anne Schedeen Directed By: Ralph Nelson
	Embryo The Glass (Primary Contributor)