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ADVANCED BREED ING
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breeding technology
What is different about IVF
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17
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
Stuart Mullan
Veterinary Surgeon
Stuart is leading the IVF project for
Paragon and is based at the Newbiggin
Paragon Advanced Breeding Centre.
Jenny Turner
Project Manager
Jenny Turner is the Advanced Breeding
Project Manager coordinating the TSB
IVF In Cattle Project on behalf of the
consortium members. She is based at
Paragon's Dalston centre.
Conventional Breeding
- Bull or Artificial
Insemination (AI)
- One calf per year
Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer (MOET)
- Four times the genetic
production rate of conventional breeding
Ovum Pickup/In-Vitro Embryo Production (OPU/IVP)
- Twelve times
or more the genetic production rate of conventional breeding
What does the
process involve?
In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is the process of
creating embryos from unfertilised egg cells
called oocytes.The oocytes are gently aspirated
(sucked) from the ovarian follicles by means
of a fine needle and guided by an ultrasound
scanner probe placed in the vagina. This is
called Ovum Pickup (OPU). The recovered
oocytes are then matured and fertilised in the
laboratory. Further maturation and culture takes
place in an incubator for approximately seven
days resulting in viable embryos which can be
transferred into recipient cows.
Advantages of the
IVF procedure
A larger number of offspring can be
generated in a shorter time frame than
using conventional methods.
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The process is non-surgical and requires
no treatment other than epidural
anaesthesia, minimising clinical risks
and pharmacological interventions.
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OPU collections can be performed weekly,
so more oocytes can be collected in a
shorter time period.
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Oocytes can be collected from both
juvenile heifers and pregnant donors during
the first trimester, extending the number of
potential embryos which can be produced.
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The technique can be used on animals
with a range of reproductive disorders,
which might not otherwise be able to
continue breeding.
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Less semen is used per fertilisation so
multiple donors can be fertilised with a
single straw; saving money and utilising
limited semen stocks.
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A wide range of bulls can be used due
to the frequency of collection giving
greater scope for genetic improvement.