Additional Services

•  Embryo Aggregation

Day 2.5 mouse embryos can be aggregated to generate chimera mice.  Morula are collected from superovulated mice. Zona pellucida (outer membrane) is removed chemically and one denuded embryo from each strain is cultured overnight in a welled petri dish. The following morning, aggregated embryos are transferred into pseudopregnant recipients. Offspring are maintained at TAF until weaning age, then transferred to the investigator.  

•  Ovarian Transplants

TAF can perform ovarian transplants to rescue lines of mutanted or transgenic mice that have difficulties breeding or have never generated offspring. Donor mutanted/transgenic females are moved to the quarantine room at Biotechnology Center. TAF will excise the ovaries and transfer them into two recipient ovariectomized wild-type females (one per recipient). Recipient females must be strain histocompatible with the donor. Recipients are housed at TAF for two weeks to assure recovery from the surgery then transferred to the investigator for breeding.

•  Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) (service under development)

Investigators can request recovery of strains at any time. Briefly, the sperm head is microinjected into an unfertilized oocytes from superovulated wildtype females. Resulting fertilized embryos will be transferred into recipients. Offspring will be transferred to the investigator at 3 wks of age, pending serology results and completion of the animal transfer form by the investigator and approval by the veterinarian from the relevant school.