Australian scientists have produced the first kangaroo embryo in the world thanks to in vitro fertilization (IVF), a breakthrough which, according to them, could help save other species from extinction.
By using specimens of oriental gray kangaroos, the researchers managed to inject a single sperm into an egg, but said that obtaining a living birth would require more work and “technical progress”.
The feat provides important information on marsupial breeding and could help efforts to improve the genetic diversity of endangered species such as koala, Tasmanian devil, Wombat with hairy nose and lead, the main researcher Andres Gambini.
Australia is home to the greatest variety of marsupial mammals, but it also has the highest rate of mammals extinctions.
The experience of the University of Queensland examined the growth of kangaroo eggs and laboratory sperm before creating embryos using a method known as the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
The technique, which is already used on humans and certain pets, has been judged on deceased oriental gray kangaroos. The species has been selected because it is not threatened and has existing high populations.
Despite the way in which emblematic marsupial species are in Australia and the crucial role they play in its biodiversity, studies on their tissues have been limited, according to scientists.
“We are now refining techniques to collect, culture and preserve eggs and marsupial sperm,” said Dr. Gambini, adding that such methods would play a crucial role in the safeguard “The genetic material of these unique and precious animals”.
IVF is used as a tool to try to preserve endangered species worldwide.
Last year, scientists obtained the leading rhino pregnancy of IVF in the world, successfully transferring an embryo of rhinos created in a laboratory in a substitution mother in Kenya.
In 2018, IVF was also used to create the first donkey embryo in the world.
