Microsurgical techniques in the genetic engineering of Mammalian embryos at the preimplantation stage

The genetic engineering of mammalian whole embryos has become one of the most popular and fruitful techniques in modern developmental biology, not only to investigate the normal development and pathogenesis of diseases but also to develop future gene-therapy applications for human genetic diseases. Although the rapid advancement of molecular biological techniques has created a theoretical basis for genetically engineering mammalian embryos, it has become practical only after the establishment of the culture system for mammalian embryos, which normally develop (hidden from the human eye) in the oviduct and the uterus, the improvement of optic instruments, and finally, the development and establishment of microsurgical techniques.