Bioengineering of liquid media for hypothermic storage of germplasm and enhancement of mammalian fertility

我们的目标是开发与促进生育蛋白兼容的新延伸剂，以提高使用人工授精繁殖的动物的生育力。这项研究将与低温停滞有限公司合作进行，该公司是一家生物技术公司，专注于开发用于保存细胞、组织和器官的新介质(解决方案)。该公司发明了新的保存方法，通过将细胞、组织和最终器官存储在摄氏零下的环境中，足以抑制或阻止细胞代谢活动，从而避免冻结并延长哺乳动物细胞在液体阶段的寿命。这些发明已经导致了用于家畜人工授精以生产猪肉和乳制品的媒介(扩充器)的商业化。最近，该公司确定了对两种新产品的需求：1)将公司的商业产品范围扩大到目前商品类型的扩展器之外，包括用于实验室动物的高利润率增值存储解决方案；以及2)在扩展器中加入可提高生育力的蛋白质。由于近亲交配和对生育能力以外的属性的遗传选择，在农业上重要的动物的生育力一直在下降，而这些动物是人类食物的重要来源。在皇后大学，我们最近发现了一种新的糖蛋白(输卵管蛋白)，它有可能提高哺乳动物精子的受精能力。在与冷冻研究人员的合作中，我们的目标是开发与促进生育蛋白兼容的新延伸剂，以提高使用人工授精繁殖的动物的生育力。鉴于农场动物繁殖力低的问题，新的延伸器

Our aim is to develop new extenders that are compatible with fertility enhancing proteins to increase fertility in animals that are bred using artificial insemination. This study will be carried out in partnership with CryoStasis Ltd., a biotechnology company that focuses on development of novel media (solutions) for preservation of cells, tissues and organs. The company has invented new methodologies of preservation that avoid freezing and extend the lifespan of mammalian cells in a liquid phase by storing cells, tissues, and ultimately organs at sub-zero Celsius environments that are sufficiently low enough to suppress or arrest cellular metabolic activity. These inventions have led to commercialization of media (extenders) used in artificial insemination of farm animals for pork and dairy production. Recently, the company has identified the need for two new products:1) Expansion of the company's commercial product range beyond the current commodity-type of extenders to include high margin value-added storage solutions for laboratory animals, and 2) Inclusion in extenders of proteins that will increase fertility. Fertility has been decreasing in agriculturally important animals which are crucial sources of human food as a result of inbreeding and genetic selection for attributes other than fertility. At Queen's University we have recently discovered a novel glycoprotein (oviductin) that has the potential to enhance the fertilizing competence of mammalian sperm. In partnership with CryoStasis researchers we aim to develop new extenders that are compatible with fertility enhancing proteins to increase fertility in animals that are bred using artificial insemination. Given the problems with low fertility in farm animals new extenders