|
|
|
In 2012, the Australian Phenome Bank adopted a new IVF technique developed by Prof Naomi Nakagata and colleagues. Prof Nakagata and colleagues modified existing procedures significantly, improving fertilisation rates with sperm isolated from C57BL/6 mice from 5-20% to 80%.
Prof Nakagata sent media and a procedure to the staff of the APB to try. Fertilisation rates increased from 5% to 80%. The APB has since implemented Prof Nakagata’s procedure, with the help of the procedure written by staff of European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA). The technique is robust and the APB team routinely obtain fertilisation rates >70% using sperm on C57BL/6 background.
A) Depicts the 2-cell fertilisation rate for all IVF sessions performed in 2012 - 13. Naturally, there is strain to strain variation in fertility (since genetic modification may influence fertility). All but one IVF session has resulted in fertilisation. The APB has received over 40 requests for strain re-animation in 2013 and all but one have resulted in pups of the correct genotype being produced.
B) Comparision of 2-cell fertilsation rates obtained with the technique APB used between 2006 and 2011 and the technique recommended by Nakagata.