EVALUATION OF VERVETS AS A RESEARCH MODEL FOR ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLGIES

这个子项目是众多研究子项目之一

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The rhesus macaque has been used extensively as a model for early human development and for fertilization and embryonic development in primates. Over the past 20 years, remarkable advancements in the assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have been achieved using the rhesus monkey model. Several of these accomplishments, including multiple follicle stimulation, oocyte fertilization by intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and oocyte/embryo manipulation, were recently described. However, owing to their limited supply and great value in other research efforts, rhesus monkeys are increasingly difficult and expensive to acquire. Therefore, the Caribbean vervet was evaluated as a primate model for ARTs based on general health, availability, cost, lack of seasonal anovulation, straight cervix, and human-like sperm characteristics. For a particular species such as the vervet to serve as an alternative model for the rhesus macaque and for studying the ARTs, the ability to obtain a high number of healthy, fertilizable oocytes, collect and cryopreserve fertile spermatozoa, as well as cryopreserve and transfer the resulting embryos when a recipient is available would be essential.