Survival and cell acquisition rates after preimplantation embryo biopsy: use of two mechanical techniques and two mouse strains.

Two strains of mouse embryos at the four- and eight-cell stages had biopsy specimens obtained by means of two different mechanical techniques: aspiration and displacement. Embryos and biopsy specimen cells were evaluated for survival and development. Blastomere acquisition rates were significantly higher with the displacement biopsy technique; however, no difference in survival or developmental rates was found in blastomere biopsy specimens removed from either four-cell or eight-cell embryos. A maximum of one blastomere can be removed from a four-cell embryo, whereas three blastomeres can be taken at biopsy from an eight-cell mouse embryo without significantly affecting embryo development, although mouse strain differences were noted. Intact, viable, biopsied blastomeres will develop in vitro when cocultured with morphologically intact embryos. Births of live offspring after embryo biopsy are reported.