Cryopreservation of Aurelia aurita larvae, a new model for understanding cryobiology in high-water content marine species.

026 Cryoconservation: Successful sperm cryopreservation and develop-mental outcomes using endangered North American amphibians

In 2014, Facebook and Apple announced that they would pay for female employees to have their oocytes frozen to allow them to delay having children and instead focus on their careers. Whatever motivated the companies to make their offers, the fact that they did so highlights a prevalent problem faced by many young women: Their most fertile years are also a crucial period for building a career, when time off work may disadvantage them. > … cryopreservation is known to affect cell survival after thawing, which can have an impact on the subsequent clinical applications of frozen cells. To fulfill their offers, Facebook and Apple will need to offer their employees access to cryopreservation technologies that profoundly change the dynamics of family planning. Such technologies are not new, but work over the past decades has been aimed at increasing safety and efficacy and has reduced costs to the point that companies can now offer cryopreservation as a way to attract and retain female workers. Of course, the potential of cryopreservation goes far beyond freezing the eggs or sperm of ambitious young technology workers—it is a ubiquitous technology used in research and medicine for a wide variety of applications (Fig 1). For example, cryopreservation is used to store and transport biological material, including adult stem cells or stem cells from umbilical cord blood or bone marrow—both of which can later be used to treat disease or extend lifespan in the same patient—blood donations, especially of rare blood types, tissues, and organs. It is also offered as a crucial service for cancer patients to preserve their gametes before they undergo therapy that may render them infertile and, generally used in assisted reproduction to store oocytes, fertilized eggs, or embryos. Cryopreservation can contribute to environmental preservation efforts, where it is used to conserve the …

Investigating the plasma membrane composition and osmotic tolerance of domestic felid (Felis catus) spermatozoa as a model for non-domestic felids.

Cryopreservation of finfish and shellfish gametes and embryos

Fish, genes and genomes: contributions to ecology, evolution and management.

The cryopreservation of gametes and embryos is a technique widely used in reproductive biology. This technology helps in the reproductive management of domesticated animals, and it is an important tool for gene banking and for human-assisted reproductive technologies. Antifreeze proteins are naturally present in several organisms exposed to subzero temperatures. The ability for these proteins to inhibit ice recrystallization together with their ability to interact with biological membranes makes them interesting molecules to be used in cryopreservation protocols. This mini-review provides a general overview about the use of antifreeze proteins to improve the short and long term storage of gametes and embryos.

Importance of cryobanking in aquatic species conservation and aquaculture

During the past 50 years, impressive success has been achieved in cryopreservation of male gametes and preimplantation stage embryos of mammals. Techniques were established mostly in domestic animals, predominantly in cattle, because of the high demand of the breeding industry. Artificial insemination with frozen-thawed semen in cattle is now the most frequently used assisted reproductive technique in mammals. However, the advancement in cryopreservation of female gametes was slow, and the efficiency is frustratingly low. The only exception is mouse, where traditional freezing of oocytes has resulted in high survival and developmental. Experiences obtained from oocyte cryopreservation of some domestic species provided much more important information for establishing a successful human oocyte cryopreservation method, although none of the tested domestic species have exactly the same oocyte type of cryosensitivity as humans. In spite of controversies and differences, research in domestic animals has contributed considerably in the establishment of a successful human oocyte cryopreservation system that is now acknowledged worldwide and may be regarded as the greatest achievement in reproductive cryobiology in the first decade of our century.

C-18: Zebrafish cryobiology: Sperm, oocytes, embryos and stem cells

Conservation of genetic resources for sustainable aquaculture

Modulation of stress factors for cryopreservation of Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck 1816) larvae

Cryopreservation of human gametes and embryos is an important and widely used method in most embryology laboratories. During last years, the practice of single embryo transfer was a greater demand for reliable cryostorage of surplus embryos. Currently, there are two basic principally different methods usable for cryopreservation: slow freezing and vitrification. Vitrification is a very promising method with massive use in embryology. Nowadays, this method is also suitable for cryopreservation of human mature oocytes (one of the most problematic cell in cryobiology). This progress in the field of cryopreservation opens new perspectives in assisted reproduction. Recent effective oocyte vitrification systems have a significant impact on clinical practice. This chapter gives a view of human gametes (sperms, oocytes) and embryos cryopreservation application and possibilities. Indications and methods of cryopreservation and thawing are mentioned.

In young female patients, treatment of cancer can cause gonadal dysfunction, loss of fertility, and premature menopause. Cryopreservation of gametes and/or embryos and displacement or shielding of the ovaries during radiation therapy are standard methods for preserving the fertility of young female cancer patients. In 2004, Donnez et al. reported the first live birth after ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation. Subsequently, ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation have been applied clinically as a new approach to fertility preservation, and a new field named oncofertility has been established in Europe and the United States. It is 13 years since the first live birth was reported after ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation, and this technique has now become an option that should be offered to all young female cancer patients. Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue makes it possible to preserve a larger number of primordial follicles. In addition, transplanted ovarian tissue can secrete estrogen. Therefore, this technique not only preserves fertility but may also improve symptoms of ovarian failure, prevent cardiovascular disorders related to estrogen deficiency, and lessen the decline of bone density. Currently, slow freezing is the standard method of ovarian tissue cryopreservation, while vitrification is commonly used for cryopreservation of embryos, blastocysts, oocytes, and semen. In recent years, attention has focused on use of vitrification for preservation of ovarian tissue. However, further research is needed to develop the optimum method of ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation. This article reviews recent findings related to ovarian tissue vitrification.

BackgroundFor diving, marine predators, accelerometer and magnetometer data provides critical information on sub-surface foraging behaviours that cannot be identified from location or time-depth data. By measuring head movement and body orientation, accelerometers and magnetometers can help identify broad shifts in foraging movements, fine-scale habitat use and energy expenditure of terrestrial and marine species. Here, we use accelerometer and magnetometer data from tagged Australian sea lions and provide a new method to identify key benthic foraging areas. As Australian sea lions are listed as endangered by the IUCN and Australian legislation, identifying key areas for the species is vital to support targeted management of populations.MethodsFirstly, tri-axial magnetometer and accelerometer data from adult female Australian sea lions is used in conjunction with GPS and dive data to dead-reckon their three-dimensional foraging paths. We then isolate all benthic phases from their foraging trips and calculate a range of dive metrics to characterise their bottom usage. Finally, k-means cluster analysis is used to identify core benthic areas utilised by sea lions. Backwards stepwise regressions are then iteratively performed to identify the most parsimonious model for describing bottom usage and its included predictor variables.ResultsOur results show distinct spatial partitioning in benthic habitat-use by Australian sea lions. This method has also identified individual differences in benthic habitat-use. Here, the application of high-resolution magnetometer/accelerometer data has helped reveal the tortuous foraging movements Australian sea lions use to exploit key benthic marine habitats and features.ConclusionsThis study has illustrated how magnetometer and accelerometer data can provide a fine-scale description of the underwater movement of diving species, beyond GPS and depth data alone, For endangered species like Australian sea lions, management of populations must be spatially targeted. Here, this method demonstrates a fine-scale analysis of benthic habitat-use which can help identify key areas for both marine and terrestrial species. Future integration of this method with concurrent habitat and prey data would further augment its power as a tool for understanding the foraging behaviours of species.

The need for novel cryoprotectants and cryopreservation protocols: Insights into the importance of biophysical investigation and cell permeability