Embryology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Embryology, including details on stem cells, reproduction, transplants, cloning.

Embryo culture does not affect the longevity of offspring in mice.

Sommovilla J, Bilker WB, Abel T, Schultz RM

Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

The oldest assisted reproductive technologies (ART)-conceived child is only 27 years old. Thus, the effects of ART on longevity are unknown, and it will be many years before this can be assessed in humans. We recently reported that culturing preimplantation mouse embryos under suboptimal conditions results in differences in how the offspring perform in behavioral assays that reflect anxiety (elevated zero maze) and spatial memory (Morris hidden water maze; Ecker et al. 2004). Here we monitored the mice generated in our previous study and found no difference in their longevity.

Published 2 November 2005 in Reproduction, 130(5): 599-601.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Embryology Research Today. All Rights Reserved.