First puppies conceived through IVF born

The seven puppies were born on July 10 and include five beagles and two beagle-cocker spaniel mixes.

Dr. Alexander Travis, Associate Professor of Reproductive Biology at Cornell University: “This is the world’s first litter of puppies ever born by in vitro fertilization”. The results were published in the science journal Plos One.

According to CNN, Travis explained that the two changes the team decided to make for the creation of the IVF puppies gave them “success in fertilization rates at 80 to 90%”. “Now we can use this technique to conserve the genetics of endangered species”, Travis said.

Researchers have succeeded in researching techniques using which the first litter of puppies were born by in vitro fertilization.

The research, undertaken by Cornell University in NY, may now provide breakthroughs in conserving canine species, studying genetic diseases and even using gene-editing technology to eradicate diseases in dogs.

“With a combination of gene-editing techniques and IVF, we can potentially prevent genetic disease before it starts”, said Travis. According to the scientists, it’s primarily because the reproductive cycle of dogs is significantly different from that of all other mammals including humans.

Implementing these findings, the team has climbed to an 80 percent fertilization rate, at which point they freeze the embryos until the mother is physiologically ready.

To develop the litter of pups, the researchers had to fertilise eggs from donor mothers with sperm from donor fathers in the lab, before transferring the embryos to a host female. They subsequently froze the embryos before finally implanting them.

Plus, who doesn’t like a scientific study that ends with seven adorable dogs?

Normally, the dog’s biology takes care of this stage. They must then return the embryo into a host female at the right time in her reproductive cycle.

In 2012, Travis’ laboratory was able to produce “Klondike”, the first puppy to be born from a frozen embryo.

IVF will in future allow conservationists to ensure the survival of endangered dog species, and to preserve rare breeds. So by doing this now in a domestic dog, what we’re doing is creating a platform or starting place to now expand this technique to be used for all these other species of dog. If a breeder repeatedly uses in vitro, could certain dogs become perpetual surrogates, similar to female breeding pups in puppy mills?