First puppies born by in vitro fertilisation

All born from the same beagle mother, two puppies were produced by another female beagle and a male cocker spaniel, while the five other puppies were produced by a third female beagle and a male beagle.

Out of these seven puppies, two are from a Beagle mother and a Cocker Spaniel father while the remaining five are from two Beagle pairs.

According to Dr. Alexander Travis from the Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, it was an incredible moment for everyone involved in the project. The research by scientists at Cornell is a huge achievement for they are the first ones to be able to achieve birth of puppies through in vitro fertilization.

One reason why in-vitro fertilization has been problematic in dogs is due to their irregular reproductive cycles.

The Cornell team found that magnesium helped fertilize an egg and using the right stage of egg cell resulted in producing embryos at a high efficiency, according to their research paper. While in vitro is used by zoos and conservation organizations to increase birth rates in captive animals, it’s not exactly clear how it can be used to conserve the genetics of endangered species in their natural habitat.

The researchers say the development will open the door for preserving endangered canid species using assisted reproduction techniques.

They have reportedly been named Ivy, Cannon, Beaker, Buddy, Nelly, Red and Green, and all but one has gone to a new home. Then, the scientists need to return the embryo into a host female at the right time in her reproductive cycle. The scientists were more than happy to report that all of the mutts are healthy and happy-just like every other naturally-conceived dog. Travis and colleagues delivered Klondike, the first puppy born from a frozen embryo in the Western Hemisphere in 2013.

Moreover, the myriad similarities between canine and human inheritable diseases means that this strategy of gene editing could potentially be a “powerful tool for understanding the genetic basis of diseases”.

The findings were published in the Public Library of Science ONE journal.

IVF could have a major impact on attempts to save endangered species of dogs, and might even help prevent the genetic disorders that so many breeds suffer from. This issue is particularly pertinent in light of the way that humans have bred dogs over many centuries.