X-Message-Number: 10543 Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 09:15:28 -0700 (PDT) From: Doug Skrecky <> Subject: freeze-dried spermatozoa "Development of Normal Mice From Oocytes Injected With Freeze-dried Spermatozoa" Nature Biotechnology 16: 639-641 July 1998 Abstract: Freeze-dried mouse spermatozoa are all motionless and dead in the conventional sense. When injected into oocytes, however, their nuclei can support normal embryonic development even after three month preservation in a dried state. Although the freeze-drying protocol reported here will need further improvement, the results suggest that it may be possible to store the male genomes at room temperature. Excerpt from editorial comments from pages 618-619: An advantage of the methods reported in the current paper is the simplicity of the freeze-drying procedure, which may require little more than dry ice and a vacuum pump. Additional note by poster: Addition of membrane permeable anhydroprotectants such as erthyritol was not attempted in the current experiment. This would be a logical next step; to attempt to preserve the viability of the spermatozoa themselves. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=10543