Superovulation without hormones - developing a novel, non-invasive method to induce follicular growth

转基因(转基因)动物模型的创建，主要是小鼠和大鼠，彻底改变了我们对人类疾病的理解。转基因生物技术利用了大量的动物：雌性和雄性都产生了用于基因操作的胚胎，雌性提供了宿主子宫来支持转基因胚胎的发展，而不育的雄性则在受体雌性体内诱导所谓的“假孕”(雌性子宫接受移植胚胎的过程)。2017年，169万只英国内政部对用于此类转基因育种计划的小鼠进行了监管程序。因此，市场对既能提高程序效率又能显著减少实验动物痛苦和痛苦的新技术有很大的需求。研究/繁殖项目的小鼠胚胎是由捐赠者雌性通过一种被称为超排的过程产生的，该过程旨在最大限度地提高每只雌性的卵子/胚胎产量。目前，该程序包括向雌性小鼠的腹腔内注射激素，以刺激卵巢卵泡和卵子的生长。后者随后要么通过自然交配受精，要么在体外收获受精。然而，成功的超数排卵本质上是可变的，不同的操作人员和激素批次的产量和质量各不相同。此外，腹内注射对动物来说是痛苦和痛苦的，因此根据3Rs原则(替换、减少、改进)，使用者有道德和法律责任使用替代方法(如果可能的话)。Ostara已经找到了一个市场机会，可以开发一种高质量的激素替代品来替代超排中使用的激素(使用称为适体的小分子)，并通过阴道输送活性物质来摆脱腹内注射(这在目前的激素治疗中是无法实现的)。这种新的方法可以通过使用质量控制的计量激素替代品显著提高超数排卵的可靠性，同时通过使用微创给药途径减少疼痛和痛苦。

The creation of genetically modified (transgenic) animal models, primarily mice and rats, has revolutionised our understanding of human disease. Transgenic biotechnologies utilise large numbers of animals: both females and males to generate embryos for genetic manipulation, females to provide a host uterus to support the development of transgenic embryos, and infertile males to induce so-called 'pseudopregnancy' (a process by which females' uterus becomes receptive to transferred embryos) in recipient females. In 2017, 1.69 million UK Home Office regulated procedures were conducted on mice destined for use in such transgenic breeding programmes. Therefore, there is a great market demand for new technologies which can both improve procedural efficiency and markedly reduce experimental animal pain and distress.Mouse embryos for research/breeding programmes are generated using donor females by a process known as superovulation, which aims to maximise oocyte/embryo yield per female. Currently, the procedure involves injecting hormones into the abdominal cavity of female mice to stimulate the growth of ovarian follicles and eggs. The latter are subsequently either fertilised through natural mating or harvested and fertilised in vitro. However, successful superovulation is inherently variable, with yields and quality varying across different operators and batches of hormones. Moreover, intra-abdominal injections are painful and distressing for animals such that users have an ethical and legal responsibility under the 3Rs principles ('Replacement, Reduction, Refinement') to use alternative methods if available.Ostara have identified a market opportunity for developing a high-quality replacement for the hormones used in superovulation (using small molecules called aptamers) as well as moving away from intra-abdominal injections by delivering their active agents vaginally (which is not achievable using current hormone treatments). This novel approach can significantly improve the reliability of superovulation through the use of quality-controlled metered dose hormone alternatives whilst reducing pain and distress by using a minimally invasive agent delivery route.