Research Project
3499715
Transgenic mouse technology provides a powerful biological assay for studying oncogene expression and activity in whole tissue and organ development. Embryo vitrification technology allows a researcher to store transgenic mouse embryos for future studies and distribution, enabling more researchers the opportunity to use these important experimental animals. Cryopreservation of embryos using vitrification technology offers many advantages over conventional embryo freezing techniques. Vitrification is fast, easy and inexpensive. Recent in vitro development studies, including experiments conducted by investigators in this phase I grant, indicate that a high of percentage of vitrified embryos will survive this low temperature storage procedure. However, in vivo development of vitrified embryos form three different embryonic developmental stages obtained from two different strains of mice will differ in their in vivo development. The type of vitrified embryo which most consistently develops to offspring at a high rate will be used in phase II to store several lines of transgenic mice important for cancer research. Once embryo vitrification is further developed, researchers using this technology will be able to save an estimated 5,000 to 15,000 dollars a year by reducing or eliminating expenses incurred in maintaining a line of transgenic mice.
