Meet the world’s first litter of IVF puppies
The first litter of puppies to be born via in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has arrived, and they’re very cute.
The breakthrough was made thanks to researchers at Cornell University. Alex Travis, associate professor of reproductive biology at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine said, “Since the mid-1970s, people have been trying to do this in a dog and have been unsuccessful.”
IVF involves fertilising a mature egg with a sperm in lab. Once they produce an embryo, this embryo gets transferred to a “host” female. The host for this study gave birth to seven healthy puppies.
Scientists have been trying to perform canine IVF for years without much success, which has been partly put down to the differences between the reproductive systems of humans and dogs.
Perhaps what’s most exciting about this development is the implications it has for conservation.
Dr Margaret Casal of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine told CBS, “The reason for doing things like this is that it will lead to the preservation of species that are almost lost.”
To view all the puppies, scroll through the above gallery.
Image credit: Cornell University
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