Transgenic Resources Program

Sperm Cryopreservation
Introduction Mouse sperm can be stored in liquid nitrogen (-196°C) for a conceivably infinite period of time and then used to regenerate a colony of live animals. There are several advantages to banking sperm in LN2: Provides “insurance” in case of animal loss due to breeding failure, pathogens, or natural disasters Reduce cage costs when mice are no longer needed for experimental purposes Reduce demand for limited animal housing space Simplifies shipment of animals and avoids importation quarantines Service Description We will harvest sperm from a single male Sperm/cryoprotectant suspension will be loaded into 21 straws Twenty straws will be split between two separate LN2 tanks for long-term storage The last straw will be thawed to assess survivability and motility of sperm Our sperm cryopreservation protocol is based on Ostermeier et al, 2008 What You Need To Do Contact the TRP to schedule a cryo session Provide the TRP with a single healthy transgenic male Ideally, the male should be a proven breeder between the ages of 8-16 weeks. Some Things To Consider The cost of sperm cryo is cheaper than embryo cryo, but the cost to rederive mice using frozen sperm (IVF) is more expensive than embryo implantation. Cryopreserving haploid sperm may require more breeding of rederived mice compared to freezing diploid embryos. Sperm cryo may not be suitable for some inbred strains or strains with multiple mutations. Prices and Guarantees Cryopreservations are charged on a per session basis. We will harvest and freeze sperm from 1 transgenic male per session. A test straw will be thawed immediately after freezing in order to provide information on the survival and developmental potential of your stored samples. If we experience a failure as determined by an unusually low survival and/or motility, we will repeat the service at no additional charge. Successful cryopreservation of sperm depends greatly upon the strain, transgenic mutations, age, breeding history, and health of the donor male. Click here for current rates. Reserve A Cryopreservation Session To order a sperm cryopreservation session, go to our TRP Forms page. Fill out a “Request for Sperm Cryopreservation” form and e-mail it to Bob Hunter bhunter@uw.edu

Sperm Cryopreservation

Introduction

Mouse sperm can be stored in liquid nitrogen (-196°C) for a conceivably infinite period of time and then used to regenerate a colony of live animals. There are several advantages to banking sperm in LN2:

Provides “insurance” in case of animal loss due to breeding failure, pathogens, or natural disasters
Reduce cage costs when mice are no longer needed for experimental purposes
Reduce demand for limited animal housing space
Simplifies shipment of animals and avoids importation quarantines

Service Description

We will harvest sperm from a single male
Sperm/cryoprotectant suspension will be loaded into 21 straws
Twenty straws will be split between two separate LN2 tanks for long-term storage
The last straw will be thawed to assess survivability and motility of sperm
Our sperm cryopreservation protocol is based on Ostermeier et al, 2008

What You Need To Do

Contact the TRP to schedule a cryo session
Provide the TRP with a single healthy transgenic male
Ideally, the male should be a proven breeder between the ages of 8-16 weeks.

Some Things To Consider

The cost of sperm cryo is cheaper than embryo cryo, but the cost to rederive mice using frozen sperm (IVF) is more expensive than embryo implantation.
Cryopreserving haploid sperm may require more breeding of rederived mice compared to freezing diploid embryos.
Sperm cryo may not be suitable for some inbred strains or strains with multiple mutations.

Prices and Guarantees

Cryopreservations are charged on a per session basis. We will harvest and freeze sperm from 1 transgenic male per session.
A test straw will be thawed immediately after freezing in order to provide information on the survival and developmental potential of your stored samples. If we experience a failure as determined by an unusually low survival and/or motility, we will repeat the service at no additional charge.
Successful cryopreservation of sperm depends greatly upon the strain, transgenic mutations, age, breeding history, and health of the donor male.
Click here for current rates.

Reserve A Cryopreservation Session
To order a sperm cryopreservation session, go to our TRP Forms page. Fill out a “Request for Sperm Cryopreservation” form and e-mail it to Bob Hunter bhunter@uw.edu