A Closer Look

Request for Proposals 2024

The Board of Directors of the American Embryo Transfer Association (AETA) is pleased to provide an opportunity for funding to support practitioner-initiated research projects that focus on advancing the knowledge and efficiency of applied assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in livestock species. The goal of the Association is to provide some financial support and access to statisticians, to help ensure that the data generated by AETA-funded projects will be robust under critical evaluation and will be of benefit to the AETA membership at large.

Please disseminate this request for proposals to be considered for 2023 (project start dates between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024). This request for proposals is open through 2023. The submission deadline is July 31, 2023.

Eligibility

• The project leader must be a member of AETA in good standing
• The project must address a contemporary problem in the embryo transfer industry
• The experimental design must be sufficiently robust to withstand critical review
• Results must be reported to AETA in an acceptable format (poster presentation, newsletter, etc.)
• It is strongly encouraged that project leaders include student members of AETA on the research team

Proposal Guidelines

The text of the proposal should be single spaced, in 11-point font, and no more than 3 pages in length, and should include the following information:

• Title of the proposal
• Names and addresses of project leader and other key personnel
• Problem statement and impact on the embryo transfer industry
• Objectives
• Materials and methods (including locations of research)
• Conclusion and intended means of dissemination (e.g., publication, presentation)

A budget sheet should be included with the proposal (not included in the text). Proposals will be funded to a maximum of $10,000. Please consider the following:

• AETA does not pay for any indirect costs (ICR, F&A, etc.)
• Funds from AETA cannot be used to make capital purchases
• Funds from AETA cannot be used to fund internships or externships and must only be used for hours spent on the proposed project
• For projects that require cooperation from external entities (e.g., livestock businesses or operations that own the animals on which the work will be conducted), letters of support from those entities should also be included in the proposal packet. These letters of support will not be included in the text of the proposal.

Proposals can be submitted to AETA by email at aeta@assochq.org or by mail to

American Embryo Transfer Association

1800 South Oak Street, Suite 100

Champaign, IL 61820-6974

Proposals received by AETA will be forwarded to the co-chairs of the Research Committee. The Research Committee will then evaluate the proposals and determine whether a project should be funded. Each proposal will be reviewed by at least two reviewers and may involve reviewers external to AETA. The Research Committee will have 45 days from the submission deadline to conduct a review and communicate funding status to the project leader.

Daniela Demetrio (RuAnn Genetics, Caruthers, CA)
Jennifer Barfield (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO)

Grade 1 COCs have more than 3 complete and compact layers of cumulus cells covering the surface of the
zona pellucida (ZP). The ooplasm is dense and has even granulation.
Grade 2 COCs have 1 or 2 compact cumulus cell layers covering the surface of the ZP and the ooplasm is
dense with even granulation. Grade 1 oocytes with speckled ooplasm are downgraded to grade 2.
Grade 3 COCs have less than 1 complete layer of cumulus cells covering the surface of the ZP. Grade 2
oocytes with speckled ooplasm are downgraded to grade 3.
Grade 4 COCs have expanded cumulus cell layers, often with an agglutinated appearance. Grade 3 oocytes with speckled ooplasm are downgraded to grade 4. If the ooplasm is retracted, the oocyte will be
considered degenerated.
Degenerated COCs consist of oocytes with retracted or noticeably light and/or speckled ooplasm, fused
cumulus cells, or cracked and/or empty ZP.

IETS Guidelines – October 2022

Jennifer Barfield (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO)
Daniela Demetrio (RuAnn Genetics, Caruthers, CA)

Stage of Development and Associated Features

Stage 4 – Morula – Blastomeres are compacted so that they cannot be fully resolved or counted. Peri vitelline (PV) space around the embryo proper is visible and the thickness of the zona pellucida (ZP) remains unchanged from
earlier cleavage stages.
Stage 5 – Early blastocyst – A small blastocoele cavity is visible and occupies less than half of the volume of the embryo proper. In most cases, the PV space remains around the embryo proper, which may or may not touch the ZP.
Stage 6 – Blastocyst – The blastocoele cavity occupies at least half of the volume of the embryo proper. Small amounts of PV space may remain or the PV space may be completely occupied by the embryo proper owing to the filling out
of the blastocoele cavity. The thickness of the ZP remains unchanged from earlier stages of development.
Stage 7 – Expanded blastocyst – The embryo proper occupies the space under the zona pellucida fully and no PV space remains. The volume of the blastocoele cavity should be larger than the inner cell mass (ICM), which should be compact and identifiable. The ZP is thinner than earlier stages of development. Expanded blastocysts may vary in diameter depending on expansion of the blastocoele cavity. Any embryo that has initiated the expansion process and is observed to have a thinning ZP may be considered stage 7. If the blastocoele cavity is collapsed, the thickness of the ZP and overall diameter of the embryo including the ZP should be used as the primary indicator of stage.
Stage 8 – Hatching blastocyst – The ZP has thinned and been breached. The trophectoderm (TE) may or may not be herniating through the opening. The ICM has further compacted and is easily identifiable. Regardless of progression of herniation (including no herniation), all embryos with an opening in the ZP (crack) in which the embryo proper is still in contact with the ZP is considered hatching. Some fresh IVP embryos have been observed to hatch without thinning of the ZP. This may be due to zona hardening or from damage sustained during handling. Embryos with a breached ZP are not suitable for export. This information should be noted on the ABC and D forms.
Stage 9 – Hatched blastocyst – The blastocyst has emerged from the ZP completely. The TE will appear bumpy without the presence of ZP. The ICM is compact and easy to identify. Embryos without a ZP are not suitable for export unless accepted by the importing country. This information should be noted on the ABC and D forms.

Morphological Quality Evaluation

Code 1 – Excellent or good – No major abnormalities in the embryo should be observed. The embryo should be symmetrical and spherical with blastomeres that are uniform in size, color, and density. In accordance with evaluations for IVD embryos, at least 85% of the cellular material contained within the ZP should be part of the embryo proper or viable embryonic mass, based on the percentage of material in the PV space relative to the embryo proper. For embryos at the early blastocyst stage of development and beyond, the ICM and TE should be easily discernable. TE cells should be even in size and light in color. The ICM should be increasingly compact as embryo development progresses. Embryos with minor deformities of the ZP that have no other deficiencies may be classified as grade 1.
Code 2 – Fair – Moderate irregularities in overall shape of the embryonic mass or in size, color, and density of individual cells. At least 50% of the cellular material should be part of an intact, viable embryonic mass. Morula with poor compaction on all or part of the embryo proper should be downgraded to a 2. Minor defects of the ICM or TE may be acceptable, but not in both. Defects of the ICM may include poor organization, poor compaction, or speckled/dense appearance of individual cells. Defects of the TE may include cells of uneven size, grouped or scattered excessively dense cells, or irregularities in the shape of the blastocoele cavity.
Code 3 – Poor – Major irregularities in shape of the embryonic mass or in size, color, and density of individual cells are observed. At least 25% of the cellular material should be part of the intact, viable embryonic mass. Major defects in both the ICM and TE are observed. Poor quality embryos may be lacking an easily discernable ICM or have very few cells of varying densities that compose a poorly organized ICM. The TE may have few cells with many tending to be larger than normal.
Code 4 – Degenerated – Unfertilized ova and embryos that have stopped developing at cleavage stages are considered non-viable if evaluations are being done 7 days after in vitro fertilization. Blastomeres may appear

IETS Guidelines – October 2022

Richard Nauber, Sandhya R. Goudu, Maren Goeckenjan, Martin Bornhäuser, Carla Ribeiro & Mariana Medina-Sánchez 

Nature Communications volume 14, Article number: 728 (2023)

 
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36215-7

Abstract

Medical microrobotics is an emerging field that aims at non-invasive diagnosis and therapy inside the human body through miniaturized sensors and actuators. Such microrobots can be tethered (e.g., smart microcatheters, microendoscopes) or untethered (e.g., cell-based drug delivery systems). Active motion and multiple functionalities, distinguishing microrobots from mere passive carriers and conventional nanomedicines, can be achieved through external control with physical fields such as magnetism or ultrasound. Here we give an overview of the key challenges in the field of assisted reproduction and how these new technologies could, in the future, enable assisted fertilization in vivo and enhance embryo implantation. As a case study, we describe a potential intervention in the case of recurrent embryo implantation failure, which involves the non-invasive delivery of an early embryo back to the fertilization site using magnetically-controlled microrobots. As the embryo will be in contact with the secretory oviduct fluid, it can develop under natural conditions and in synchrony with the endometrium preparation. We discuss the potential microrobot designs, including a proper selection of materials and processes, envisioning their translation from bench to animal studies and human medicine. Finally, we highlight regulatory and ethical considerations for bringing this technology to the clinic.