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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 22(1)

Synthetic media for culture, freezing and vitrification of bovine embryos

J. F. Hasler
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

Bioniche Animal Health, Inc., NE1335 Terre View Drive, Pullman, WA 99163, USA. Email: jfhasler05@msn.com

Reproduction, Fertility and Development 22(1) 119-125 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD09224
Published: 8 December 2009

Abstract

Media designed for the recovery, holding and cryopreservation of bovine and equine embryos are available from several commercial sources. In years past, some of these media contained bovine serum, although inclusion of serum in embryo transfer media is now largely discontinued due to issues relating to storage and biosecurity. Currently, bovine serum albumin (BSA) is included in most commercially manufactured media intended for use in embryo transfer (ET). Although BSA poses less risk than serum for the transmission of infectious disease, its inclusion still entails risk of viral contamination. The present review briefly describes the various components of ET media and the development of efficacious ET media containing no products of animal origin. An evaluation of the efficacy of recovery, holding, slow controlled freezing and vitrification media in both research and commercial ET embryo transfer settings is also presented.

Additional keywords: embryo media, embryo transfer, media formulations.


Acknowledgements

Several faculty members and students in the ARBL, CSU, contributed very significantly to this work. Particular thanks to George E. Seidel Jr, Zell Brink, Elaine Carnevale, Patrick M. McCue, Edward L. Squires, Josh Walker, Jay Hudson, Wendy D. Eldridge-Panuska and L. Fernando Campos-Chillòn. Kathy Shearer, in the Bioniche embryo media production facility (Pullman, WA), prepared most of the media used in the studies conducted at CSU and in the field. The authors is also grateful to several ET practitioners for contributing field trial data, especially G. Bo, L. J. Kennel C. R. Looney, A. Rushmer, B. Stroud and J. Webb.


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