OPU & ICSI
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, more commonly known as ICSI, is the process of injecting a single sperm cell into a mature oocyte. It can be used to overcome multiple reproductive issues.
ICSI (/ˈɪksi/)
Post-Mortem Oocyte Collection
In the sad circumstance that your mare has to be euthanised or has passed away, a post-mortem collection can give you one last chance at producing an offspring from her. The ovaries are removed from the mare and are dissected and each small follicle is scraped and rinsed. The fluid from the follicles is examined under a microscope. The number of oocytes varies and depends on the mare’s cycle stage, pregnancy, age, and any factor that led to the euthanasia. This generally occurs under two scenarios.
Planned euthanasia will take place at home with your own veterinarian and they will remove the ovaries and ship them to Equigenesis for collection and fertilisation using ICSI.
In the case of an acute euthanasia, your veterinarian can remove and pack the ovaries. The ovaries are then transported to Equigenesis as fast as possible.
Equine embryo cultures are the specialised laboratory environments used to grow and monitor horse embryos outside the mare's body (in vitro). This process is essential for advanced reproductive technologies like ICSI and PGT, as it mimics the natural conditions of the mare's reproductive tract to support early development
For a breeder, the primary advantage of embryo culture is the ability to maximise the genetic output of a mare without her ever needing to be pregnant or "in season." Because culture is the essential middle step for ICSI, it allows you to produce multiple embryos from a single collection and grow them in a safe, monitored environment where their development can be precisely graded. This process also provides the necessary time and access to perform PGT (genetic testing), ensuring that only the healthiest embryos with the desired traits are selected for transfer. Ultimately, by using laboratory culture, you gain logistical flexibility, as embryos can be vitrified (frozen) and stored until you have the perfect recipient mare ready, regardless of the time of year.
Embryo Culture
