One Embryology: impactful connections between human- and wildlife-assisted reproduction

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in humans have evolved from early experimental work into a globally established clinical field, with animal research providing the foundation for their development and continuous refinement. This review examines the reciprocal relationship between human and animal ART and considers how a broader "One Embryology" framework may benefit both reproductive medicine and wildlife conservation.

The historical and contemporary connections between human, domestic animal, and wildlife ART are reviewed, with particular consideration of comparative reproductive physiology, cryopreservation, reproductive biobanking, conservation science, genomics, training, and emerging laboratory technologies.

Human IVF remains deeply rooted in animal physiology, while advances in livestock reproduction established the practical foundations of semen cryopreservation, informing human fertility treatment, wildlife conservation, and reproductive biobanking. These similarities emphasise the unifi ed nature of reproductive science, in which human and animal ART continue to inform one another. While reproductive effi ciency has driven human and domestic animal ART, wildlife conservation has adopted ART to preserve reproductive potential where biology, logistics, or ethics limit intervention. The diversity of reproductive strategies across the animal kingdom offers important opportunities for innovation and highlights the value of comparative approaches, particularly as modern embryology training places less emphasis on comparative animal physiology. Human IVF also faces growing challenges, including workforce shortages, increasing laboratory complexity, and growing automation, raising questions regarding professional identity, training, and workforce sustainability. Conservation ART provides not only a translational testing ground but also an opportunity to reinvigorate scientific engagement.

Greater integration of conservation science, genomics, and biobanking within the clinical ART community may strengthen both human reproductive medicine and global biodiversity conservation through abroader "One Embryology" framework.