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In Vitro Porcine Blastocyst Development In Three-Dimensional Alginate Hydrogels, Jeremy R. Miles, Taylor D. Laughlin, Catherine Sargus-Patino, Angela K. Pannier

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Appropriate embryonic and fetal development significantly impact pregnancy success and, therefore, the efficiency of swine production. The pre-implantation period of porcine pregnancy is characterized by several developmental hallmarks, which are initiated by the dramatic morphological change that occurs as pig blastocysts elongate from spherical to filamentous blastocysts. Deficiencies in blastocyst elongation contribute to approximately 20% of embryonic loss, and have a direct influence on within-litter birth weight variation. Although factors identified within the uterine environment may play a role in blastocyst elongation, little is known about the exact mechanisms by which porcine (or other species’) blastocysts initiate and progress through …