What is ICSI?
ICSI is short for Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection the process in which you take one single sperm and inject it into the oocyte/egg under the microscope with a micro-manipulator.
Why use ICSI?
Through ICSI fertilization, we have the capability to continue to preserve the legacy of bloodlines from amazing equine athletes. ICSI is commonly used in the equestrian field for both stallions and mares. Most commonly ICSI is used in stallions that are deceased and may have very limited semen that is preserved or available or stallions that have limited mobility. ICSI is also used in mares that are currently being used as performance horses and have limited time off of their busy performance schedule.
One of the great benefits of ICSI is that it is used to produce more embryos on an accelerated time scale, versus having your mare flushed or carrying the foal to full term. ICSI provides a faster return for horses and the breeding process.
The Process
Equine Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is often used when pregnancies are sought from a limited sperm supply. In our case, from a stallion that has passed away.
Oocytes (eggs) of a valuable broodmare (donor mare) are fertilized in a lab. The oocytes are recovered from the mare’s ovarian follicles and then cultured to induce maturation, mirroring the developmental changes that would occur in an oocyte immediately before ovulation. The maturation process usually takes 12 to 30 hours, depending upon the stage of maturation of the recovered eggs.
Matured oocytes are injected with individual sperm from the desired stallion. For this procedure, one sperm is injected into the cytoplasm of each oocyte under a high-power microscope. The resulting fertilized oocytes are cultured in the laboratory for 7 to 10 days to become suitable for transfer to a recipient mare.
Developed embryos are then shipped to a private embryo transfer facility for transfer to a recipient mare.
What can I expect as a customer?
What benefits does ICSI provide vs. flushing embryo? Both procedures are great options and beneficial in their own way. The key difference and benefit is that with ICSI you have a higher chance of getting more embryos and getting them much quicker. With ICSI you only need to plan the date your mare is going to be aspirated. Once your aspiration date is set you and the mare don’t need to do anything else. In comparison to flushing with which you need to plan flush date & breeding date. ICSI gives you more chances to create more embryos faster, along with your mare being able to return to performing faster.