In Vitro Culture of Embryos from the Cynomolgus Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)

The cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis) has contributed significantly as an animal model in a variety of biological systems including reproductive biology. The first reported delivery of a cynomolgus infant born through IVF was in 1984, and since then the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in the cynomolgus macaque for modeling primate early embryonic development has evolved to include studies on gene editing in primate embryos and embryonic stem cell chimerism. The significance of the cynomolgus as a model of primate reproduction not only lies in the similarity of their reproductive physiology to the human but also in their availability, moderate size, and year-round utility with no seasonal breeding constraints. While many of the ARTs developed and refined in the rhesus also apply to the cynomolgus there are a number of variations that have proven effective in this species. The following chapter provides an overview of the ART methodologies that support the efficient production of M. fascicularis embryos, their cryopreservation and their transfer to recipient females for the establishment of pregnancy.