Event

The School of Veterinary Medicine presents "Biotechnologies in the horse reproduction" by Professor Stefan Deleuze. This event takes place from noon to 1pm. 

Abstract

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) for the horse developed steadily over the last two decades. These techniques range from simple procedures such as artificial insemination to the complex production of clones. These technologies now enable salvation of otherwise lost genetics from either subfertile or even dead animals.

The limited interest of the horse industry for these technologies as well as the scarcity of abattoir oocytes available for research and the technical difficulties for their recovery from follicles have seriously impeded development of ARTs in this species. This section will focus on the clinical aspects of the oocyte recovery, their assessment and their use in assisted reproduction in the mare. This presentation reviews the state-of-the-art in the different techniques using oocytes for in vitro horse embryo production. These in vivo techniques involve transfer of oocytes previously matured in vitro or not in surrogate mares. They require availability of recipients, synchronisation between donor and recipient mares, surgery or specific equipment and skills. However, they potentially represent valuable alternatives to IVF procedures which can be poorly efficient (conventional IVF) or technically demanding (ICSI).