Today I found this article on The Horse (thehorse.com) (http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=15831&src=VW) that told me that the first filly who had been screened as an embryo had been born healthy on January 27! This means that she could have been (and likely was I bet!) tested for gender, color, and many hereditary diseases before she was born! As an embryo she could be tested for these things and then put into a recipient mare to grow and be born much later. This is both exciting and scary at the same time! The thought of picking exactly what combination I want in a baby is exhilarating but it also leads to questions like what happens to the other embryos? It also has huge economic implications as well, since selection for some of the rarer varieties could definitely make them "less rare!" But from a purely interesting and scientific standpoint, I think it's pretty cool. Have a look for yourself!
First Biopsied Vitrified Embryo Foal Born
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by: Edited
Press Release |
February
15 2010
Article # 15831
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The world's first foal from a biopsied and vitrified embryo transferred
into a surrogate mare was born Jan. 27, 2010, at Minitube International
Center for Biotechnology in Mount Horeb, Wisc. The procedure used to
create the filly provides horse breeders with an opportunity to directly
test embryos for genetic traits including gender, coat color, genetic
diseases, and select desirable genetics from stallion and mare
combinations.
A report on the procedure will be presented at the 10th International
Symposium on Equine Reproduction in Kentucky this July.
"Embryo transfer and cryopreservation have been steadily gaining
traction in equine reproduction as the technology further develops and
the equestrian community adjusts registry requirements," said Mats
Troedsson, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACT, Director of the Gluck Equine Research
Center at the University of Kentucky and Director of Equine Research for
Minitube International. "But the ability to genetically screen an
equine embryo before transfer would change horse breeding as we know it
today." (See a
video interview with Troedsson.)
To make Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (genetic screening of an
equine embryo) practical, the embryo needs to be biopsied, vitrified,
and later transferred into a recipient.
The sample can be tested for gender and coat color, as well as genetic
diseases. This technology has the potential to allow breeders to avoid
producing horses that are carriers for genetic diseases, eventually
removing these diseases from the gene pool.
Minitube, in collaboration with the Madison Equine Clinic and Hagyard
Equine Medical Institute, currently offers equine vitrification and
embryo transfer services throughout the United States and will be adding
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis to its available services.
Originally posted at www.equinefotography.com/blog