Research lines

Assisted reproduction techniques

Assisted reproduction techniques in swine, such as the obtainment of oocytes and sperm, in vitro fertilisation, assisted fertilisation, embryo manipulation, cloning, embryonic vitrification, embryo transfer, sexing of semen or embryos etc., are in different phases of methodological evolution. The results of the research are promising, and in the not too remote future their practical application will drive very important changes in the management of swine screening and multiplication farms.
Thus, for example, embryo vitrification is an indefinite method of embryo conservation which in swine is conducted in the morula or blastocyst phase. While this technique is used routinely in other species, in swine it requires a methodological improvement in the vitrification and embryo transfer protocols. Once technical problems have been solved in the near future, vitrification, and subsequently embryo transfer, will be regular practices for all the swine screening and multiplication companies. Moreover, embryo vitrification will entail less cost and greater health safety in the transport of animals inside and outside the European Union.
Finally, both semen sexing and the sexing of embryos are two techniques that will revolutionise swine , multiplication and production. Semen sexing is slowly but surely obtaining significant progress after adapting the 'Sorting' effect of flow cytometry in the X and Y chromosomes of the spermatozoa.