Research Project
9409600
SUMMARY ParaTechs Corporation aims to provide researchers with advanced technology and methods to simplify procedures for laboratory animal models. While actively supporting efforts to ?reduce, replace and refine? (3Rs) animal use, ParaTechs provides safe and effective resources for assisted reproductive techniques. By implementing the ?Cryofork?, a novel tool for embryo and sperm preservation and recovery, we intend to improve the management of animal facilities, and facilitate the use of cryopreserved material for experiments that use animal models. One of the most important aspects of animal facility management is animal welfare. Cryopreservation of animal models is ubiquitously favored by the biomedical research community for its ability to safeguard against catastrophic animal loss due to disease, breeding problems, disasters, and genetic drift. Animal models not currently needed for experiments can also be cryopreserved. This provides substantial savings; streamlining workloads and freeing vivarium resources for active projects. With the advent of highly effective genome editing approaches, the number of animal models available for biomedical research is poised to dramatically increase in the next 5-10 years, with wide-sweeping implications for basic biology, pharmacological studies, generation of engineered animal models, and human gene therapeutics. This explosion of potential animal models will require a convenient and inexpensive tool for rapid cryopreservation. The Cryofork vitrification protocol provides a rapid and effective method for the cryopreservation of oocytes, embryos, and sperm for mouse and rat models. Cryoforks can easily be shipped, reducing the need for transfer of live animals. The Cryofork will therefore help researchers and institutions meet the goal of continuous improvement in the use of research animals Use of the Cryofork will reduce the number of animals used and eliminate a potentially hazardous shipping procedure, meeting the requirements of the 3Rs of animal research. In addition to benefits to facility management, animal welfare, and experimental flexibility, the Cryofork is also a cost- and time-saving alternative to current cryopreservation, providing substantial cost savings versus contracted cryopreservation services. Therefore, the goals of this project are to design, manufacture, and test the Cryofork for use with embryos and sperm from mice and rats. The Cryofork design will be optimized; critically evaluating the shape and surface characteristics which impact vitrification performance. The best prototype design will be selected and manufactured for feasibility testing. The manufactured Cryofork will then be evaluated for strain recovery after rodent embryo and sperm vitrification. Since a rat sperm vitrification protocol has not been previously reported for rat sperm vitrification, a new protocol will be developed for use with the Cryofork. The Cryofork has the potential to decrease the financial burden of creating, storing, and retrieving model organisms for biomedical research.
