AbstractExperimental embryological techniques using the rhesus monkey are described. Procedures have been developed for sperm capacitation, in vitro fertilization (IVF), culture of embryos, and embryo transfer. Development of procedures for in vitro oocyte maturation is presently underway. Whereas these procedures are intended to provide basic information about early embryonic development in primates, they are well suited to attempts at conserving endangered primate species. A number of situations arise in which experimental embryological techniques can be useful. Some animals may fail to breed in captivity, but nevertheless are able to produce viable gametes. In this case, sperm and oocytes can be combined in vitro to produce healthy embryos, which can be transferred either to the egg donor or to another recipient animal. In some instances, females may be reproductively incompetent although still capable of producing viable eggs. In other cases, males may produce inadequate amounts of viable sperm. In both instances, IVF may help to overcome these reproductive defects. When techniques for maturing eggs in vitro are perfected, it will be possible to harvest oocytes from ovaries of terminally ill animals and to create viable embryos by IVF. Experimental work with mouse embryos and its commercial application to cattle embryos have amply demonstrated that mammalian embryos can be cryopreserved. Preliminary work clearly shows that viability of nonhuman primate embryos can be maintained during freeze storage. The development of reliable cryopreservation techniques and their application to endangered primate species must be considered a high priority in efforts to conserve these rare animals. When all of these techniques are combined, it will be feasible to create embryos by IVF, to cryopreserve them for long periods of time, and to transport them to distant sites for implantation in the same or even a related species of animal. In the latter case, the possibility is raised of resurrecting an extinct species.
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