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Japanese scientists have launched a sperm bank for endangered animals that uses freeze-drying technology.
Japanese scientists have launched a sperm bank for endangered animals that uses freeze-drying technology.
The team at Kyoto University's Institute of Laboratory Animals Graduate School of Medicine successfully preserved sperm taken from two endangered primates and a subspecie of giraffe.
They mixed the sperm with special preservation liquid and freeze-dried it in a way that allows them to store it at just 4°C. The temperature is much higher and less energy intensive than conventional ways of storing sperm.
Previously, Professor Takehito Kaneko and his researchers successfully freeze-dried sperm from rats and mice without the use of bulky liquid nitrogen equipment, and were able to prove the viability of the spermatozoa up to five years later.
The technology enables sperm to be stored at room temperature for short periods, making safe in the event of power failures caused by a natural disaster, for example.
The challenge now is to develop a way to apply the method to the other side of the procreative equation, because for now, only fresh eggs or those frozen conventionally can be used.
The team at Kyoto University's Institute of Laboratory Animals Graduate School of Medicine successfully preserved sperm taken from two endangered primates and a subspecie of giraffe.
They mixed the sperm with special preservation liquid and freeze-dried it in a way that allows them to store it at just 4°C. The temperature is much higher and less energy intensive than conventional ways of storing sperm.
Previously, Professor Takehito Kaneko and his researchers successfully freeze-dried sperm from rats and mice without the use of bulky liquid nitrogen equipment, and were able to prove the viability of the spermatozoa up to five years later.
The technology enables sperm to be stored at room temperature for short periods, making safe in the event of power failures caused by a natural disaster, for example.
The challenge now is to develop a way to apply the method to the other side of the procreative equation, because for now, only fresh eggs or those frozen conventionally can be used.